Pub Date : 2023-03-17DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10130
Johanna Ambu, C. Dufresnes
Conservation genetics must find the balance between the technical challenges of DNA sampling while promoting animal welfare. In amphibians, buccal swabs offer a least intrusive source of DNA, but most herpetologists still refrain to use them, partly due to doubts regarding their effectiveness to provide enough material now that next-generation sequencing (NGS) analyses have become routine. In this article, we hope to change their minds through an empirical demonstration that buccal swabs offer DNA amounts and success rates for a widely used NGS approach (RAD-sequencing) that are equivalent to those of more intrusive yet commonly used samples in frogs and toads. We thus call for a shift of DNA sampling practices, and stress the fact that beyond their proven reliability, buccal swabs facilitate the issue of collection permits by increasingly restrictive ethical committees, especially when it comes to endangered species. With this purpose in mind, we share our long-term experience with amphibian buccal swabs through visual and textual pointers.
{"title":"Buccal swabs for amphibian genomics","authors":"Johanna Ambu, C. Dufresnes","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10130","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10130","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Conservation genetics must find the balance between the technical challenges of DNA sampling while promoting animal welfare. In amphibians, buccal swabs offer a least intrusive source of DNA, but most herpetologists still refrain to use them, partly due to doubts regarding their effectiveness to provide enough material now that next-generation sequencing (NGS) analyses have become routine. In this article, we hope to change their minds through an empirical demonstration that buccal swabs offer DNA amounts and success rates for a widely used NGS approach (RAD-sequencing) that are equivalent to those of more intrusive yet commonly used samples in frogs and toads. We thus call for a shift of DNA sampling practices, and stress the fact that beyond their proven reliability, buccal swabs facilitate the issue of collection permits by increasingly restrictive ethical committees, especially when it comes to endangered species. With this purpose in mind, we share our long-term experience with amphibian buccal swabs through visual and textual pointers.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47154136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-10DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10129
Geoffrey R. Smith, Adam B. Wade
Plethodontid salamanders often possess the ability to detect and avoid hazards in the environment which may be important for survival. We examined whether the two main colour morphs of Plethodon cinereus differ in their avoidance of cues from a potential predator (Thamnophis sirtalis) and whether P. cinereus avoided cues from T. sirtalis of different sizes (i.e., small vs. large). Plethodon cinereus avoided chemical cues deposited by T. sirtalis on a substrate; but avoidance did not differ between colour morphs of P. cinereus, snake sizes, or individual donor snakes.
{"title":"Eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) avoid chemical cues from snake predators regardless of colour morph or snake individual and size","authors":"Geoffrey R. Smith, Adam B. Wade","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10129","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10129","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Plethodontid salamanders often possess the ability to detect and avoid hazards in the environment which may be important for survival. We examined whether the two main colour morphs of Plethodon cinereus differ in their avoidance of cues from a potential predator (Thamnophis sirtalis) and whether P. cinereus avoided cues from T. sirtalis of different sizes (i.e., small vs. large). Plethodon cinereus avoided chemical cues deposited by T. sirtalis on a substrate; but avoidance did not differ between colour morphs of P. cinereus, snake sizes, or individual donor snakes.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45132120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-03DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10128
M. Zuffi, Luna Bollaro, C. Mancusi, L. Marsili, P. Nicolosi, Giovanni Raimondi, G. Terracciano, C. Caruso, Laura Tonelli, Lucia Venturi, T. Mingozzi
Analysis of embryonic asymmetry may inform on pathologies, metabolic deficiencies or on functional anomalies. In Chelonians, range and relative numbers of abnormalities that occur at the embryonic stages are poorly known. The relative importance of the abnormalities causing embryonic death in the context of the conditions of incubation is not known. As for Caretta caretta, very little information is available on the biometry and anomalies of dead embryos in the Mediterranean basin. We compared data on biometric variability of carapace length and width, flippers asymmetries, clutch size, and hatching success from nests of Loggerhead coming from: the Ionian Calabrian coast (Southern Italy), where nesting has longly documented, and the Northern Tyrrhenian coast (Tuscany, Central Italy), where nesting activity has started only recently. Dead embryos were found inside nests after hatchling emergence. The turtles that nested in the two areas laid similar clutch sizes, but the Northern Tyrrhenian coast shows less hatched eggs and a lower hatching success, higher number of dead embryos and of unhatched eggs. Embryos from the Northern Tyrrhenian coast were significantly smaller than the Ionian Calabrian ones. Estimated stages ranged from 26 to 31b in both regions, stages 29-31b were more abundant in the Ionian Calabrian. Left vs right fore-flipper length varied significantly, with left flipper being longer than right flipper, but this asymmetry did not differ between the two regions. Flipper asymmetry seems to be a shared pattern in both juvenile and adult stages, likely not being the cause of mortality of our studied embryos.
{"title":"Eggs, hatching and embryos variability in loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta show significant differences among nests coming from two Italian nesting grounds","authors":"M. Zuffi, Luna Bollaro, C. Mancusi, L. Marsili, P. Nicolosi, Giovanni Raimondi, G. Terracciano, C. Caruso, Laura Tonelli, Lucia Venturi, T. Mingozzi","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10128","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10128","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Analysis of embryonic asymmetry may inform on pathologies, metabolic deficiencies or on functional anomalies. In Chelonians, range and relative numbers of abnormalities that occur at the embryonic stages are poorly known. The relative importance of the abnormalities causing embryonic death in the context of the conditions of incubation is not known. As for Caretta caretta, very little information is available on the biometry and anomalies of dead embryos in the Mediterranean basin. We compared data on biometric variability of carapace length and width, flippers asymmetries, clutch size, and hatching success from nests of Loggerhead coming from: the Ionian Calabrian coast (Southern Italy), where nesting has longly documented, and the Northern Tyrrhenian coast (Tuscany, Central Italy), where nesting activity has started only recently. Dead embryos were found inside nests after hatchling emergence. The turtles that nested in the two areas laid similar clutch sizes, but the Northern Tyrrhenian coast shows less hatched eggs and a lower hatching success, higher number of dead embryos and of unhatched eggs. Embryos from the Northern Tyrrhenian coast were significantly smaller than the Ionian Calabrian ones. Estimated stages ranged from 26 to 31b in both regions, stages 29-31b were more abundant in the Ionian Calabrian. Left vs right fore-flipper length varied significantly, with left flipper being longer than right flipper, but this asymmetry did not differ between the two regions. Flipper asymmetry seems to be a shared pattern in both juvenile and adult stages, likely not being the cause of mortality of our studied embryos.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43125812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-01DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10127
Nawal Hichami, M. Znari
A previous study on the feeding habits of Moorish tortoises in west-central Morocco suggests that these animals are selective herbivores, but the nutritional consequences have not been examined. Because of the potassium excretion load, which requires water and/or nitrogen loss, we predicted that tortoises do not have salt glands. Moorish tortoises prefer plants rich in water and protein but low in potassium (PEP index). To this end, we studied the spring diet of adult tortoises in an arid steppe in west-central Morocco during two seasons of relatively dry years (2011-2012) using feces analyses. We also estimated the relative abundance of potential food plants by stratified sampling under the canopy of jujube bushes Ziziphus lotus. We statistically compared diet to plant abundance. Finally, we assessed plant species’ nutritional composition (water, crude protein, and potassium) available to tortoises. Results showed that species assemblages differed significantly between the two plant communities in both years. Nevertheless, tortoises consumed only about 5-6 and nearly the same species at the study site in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The plants consumed by the tortoises had the highest positive PEP index values indicating that there was more water and nitrogen in the food than is needed to excrete potassium.
{"title":"Interannual variations in diet and nutritional value of plants consumed by the Souss Valley tortoises, Testudo graeca graeca, in west-central Morocco: are they really selective foragers?","authors":"Nawal Hichami, M. Znari","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10127","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10127","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000A previous study on the feeding habits of Moorish tortoises in west-central Morocco suggests that these animals are selective herbivores, but the nutritional consequences have not been examined. Because of the potassium excretion load, which requires water and/or nitrogen loss, we predicted that tortoises do not have salt glands. Moorish tortoises prefer plants rich in water and protein but low in potassium (PEP index). To this end, we studied the spring diet of adult tortoises in an arid steppe in west-central Morocco during two seasons of relatively dry years (2011-2012) using feces analyses. We also estimated the relative abundance of potential food plants by stratified sampling under the canopy of jujube bushes Ziziphus lotus. We statistically compared diet to plant abundance. Finally, we assessed plant species’ nutritional composition (water, crude protein, and potassium) available to tortoises. Results showed that species assemblages differed significantly between the two plant communities in both years. Nevertheless, tortoises consumed only about 5-6 and nearly the same species at the study site in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The plants consumed by the tortoises had the highest positive PEP index values indicating that there was more water and nitrogen in the food than is needed to excrete potassium.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44602854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-10DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10126
M. Liuzzo, S. Borella, D. Ottonello, V. Arizza, S. Malavasi
Behavioural and spatial distribution analyses were quantified during a phase of activity and lethargy in a wild population of the European pond turtle inhabiting a protected internal wetland area of the Venice lagoon. The marked individuals (13 males and 16 females) provided informative radiotracking data to study differential patterns of activity, dispersion and habitat use between the two study periods (“October-November both 2019 and 2020” and “June-July 2020”). The differences in the movements behaviours and habitat selection were affected by period. Movements were higher in the period of activity than lethargy, but they were not influenced by sex and size. The presence of the European pond turtle in the transitional woodland/shrubs and brackish water valley habitats was significantly higher in the period of activity than lethargy. During the latter one, pond turtles were observed to brumate gregariously in a small area for brumation, usually in shallow water. In contrast, all individuals have changed water bodies during the activity period. Part of those movements has occurred towards aquatic habitat with higher salinities 1-17 (mean: 10.64). These findings provide a set of information to better understand the behavioural ecology of Emys orbicularis in the lagoon area. This is of relevance for management actions and for the conservation of this threatened species.
{"title":"Comparing activity and space patterns of the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis (L., 1758) in a Venice Lagoon wetland area: implications for conservation planning and management","authors":"M. Liuzzo, S. Borella, D. Ottonello, V. Arizza, S. Malavasi","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10126","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10126","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Behavioural and spatial distribution analyses were quantified during a phase of activity and lethargy in a wild population of the European pond turtle inhabiting a protected internal wetland area of the Venice lagoon. The marked individuals (13 males and 16 females) provided informative radiotracking data to study differential patterns of activity, dispersion and habitat use between the two study periods (“October-November both 2019 and 2020” and “June-July 2020”). The differences in the movements behaviours and habitat selection were affected by period. Movements were higher in the period of activity than lethargy, but they were not influenced by sex and size. The presence of the European pond turtle in the transitional woodland/shrubs and brackish water valley habitats was significantly higher in the period of activity than lethargy. During the latter one, pond turtles were observed to brumate gregariously in a small area for brumation, usually in shallow water. In contrast, all individuals have changed water bodies during the activity period. Part of those movements has occurred towards aquatic habitat with higher salinities 1-17 (mean: 10.64). These findings provide a set of information to better understand the behavioural ecology of Emys orbicularis in the lagoon area. This is of relevance for management actions and for the conservation of this threatened species.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47716019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-10DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10125
Arthur Choeur, J. Clémencet, M. Le Corre, M. Roesch, M. Sanchez
Habitat loss is the leading cause of reptile decline and therefore, habitat studies are crucial to implement conservation actions. We investigated the microhabitat use of the Manapany day gecko (Phelsuma inexpectata), a critically endangered species endemic to Reunion Island (Western Indian Ocean). Anthropogenic disturbances led to a severe fragmentation of the gecko population, and habitat requirements of this species are poorly known, impeding effective restoration work. We (i) investigated intra-annual variations in microhabitat use, (ii) investigated movement rate to better understand habitat use, and (iii) characterised egg-laying sites. We surveyed two gecko populations in remnant natural habitat annually during five years (2015-2019) and monthly in one of the populations during 18 consecutive months. A total of 2621 gecko detections were recorded and 25 egg-laying sites were characterised. Geckos used mainly native plant species, with a high preference for screw pine thickets. We observed seasonal variations in microhabitat preferences and movement rates. Geckos perched higher and thermoregulated motionless in the canopy during winter. In summer, geckos perched lower, spent less time thermoregulating and exhibited saxicolous behaviour, particularly in females. Egg-laying sites were mainly found in rock cavities surrounded by native plants and facing southwards. Our findings confirm the importance of native coastal vegetation for the conservation of this species. Seasonal shifts of microhabitat use indicate that P. inexpectata (i) need habitats with thermal heterogeneity to adapt to seasonal changes in their thermal environment, and (ii) adapt their microhabitat use according to their reproductive phenology, especially for egg-laying in rock cavities.
{"title":"Intra-annual variations of microhabitat use and movements of a critically endangered arboreal day gecko endemic to Reunion Island: implications for conservation","authors":"Arthur Choeur, J. Clémencet, M. Le Corre, M. Roesch, M. Sanchez","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10125","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Habitat loss is the leading cause of reptile decline and therefore, habitat studies are crucial to implement conservation actions. We investigated the microhabitat use of the Manapany day gecko (Phelsuma inexpectata), a critically endangered species endemic to Reunion Island (Western Indian Ocean). Anthropogenic disturbances led to a severe fragmentation of the gecko population, and habitat requirements of this species are poorly known, impeding effective restoration work. We (i) investigated intra-annual variations in microhabitat use, (ii) investigated movement rate to better understand habitat use, and (iii) characterised egg-laying sites. We surveyed two gecko populations in remnant natural habitat annually during five years (2015-2019) and monthly in one of the populations during 18 consecutive months. A total of 2621 gecko detections were recorded and 25 egg-laying sites were characterised. Geckos used mainly native plant species, with a high preference for screw pine thickets. We observed seasonal variations in microhabitat preferences and movement rates. Geckos perched higher and thermoregulated motionless in the canopy during winter. In summer, geckos perched lower, spent less time thermoregulating and exhibited saxicolous behaviour, particularly in females. Egg-laying sites were mainly found in rock cavities surrounded by native plants and facing southwards. Our findings confirm the importance of native coastal vegetation for the conservation of this species. Seasonal shifts of microhabitat use indicate that P. inexpectata (i) need habitats with thermal heterogeneity to adapt to seasonal changes in their thermal environment, and (ii) adapt their microhabitat use according to their reproductive phenology, especially for egg-laying in rock cavities.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48138959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-09DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10124
G. Tessa, G. Sotgiu, S. Bovero, C. Angelini, Marco Favelli, E. Gazzaniga, C. Giacoma, T. Garner
Parasites can directly affect host survival by causing cryptic costs that may occur in species when mortality does not take place or is less evident. Costs can be present in differently life history stages or age cohorts or cause age-dependent effects. Here we investigate the effects of chytridiomycete fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, (Bd), that causes one of the main infectious diseases implicated in numerous mass mortalities and population declines in the class of Amphibia, including in one of the rarest and most threatened salamander in Europe, the endemic Sardinian brook newt Euproctus platycephalus. This species is known to be infected by Bd since 2006, without evident direct cost or mass mortality events being observed. During 5 years of sampling (2007-2011), we captured 273 newts in the main infected area of the Limbara Mountain in the North of Sardinia, and, through epidemiological and age analyzes, we assess that Bd directly affected juvenile recruitment, and it is related to difficulties in the development of the species, with an impact on the females growth.
{"title":"Cryptic but direct costs of an epidemic caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the endangered Sardinian newt Euproctus platycephalus (Amphibia, Caudata)","authors":"G. Tessa, G. Sotgiu, S. Bovero, C. Angelini, Marco Favelli, E. Gazzaniga, C. Giacoma, T. Garner","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10124","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Parasites can directly affect host survival by causing cryptic costs that may occur in species when mortality does not take place or is less evident. Costs can be present in differently life history stages or age cohorts or cause age-dependent effects. Here we investigate the effects of chytridiomycete fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, (Bd), that causes one of the main infectious diseases implicated in numerous mass mortalities and population declines in the class of Amphibia, including in one of the rarest and most threatened salamander in Europe, the endemic Sardinian brook newt Euproctus platycephalus. This species is known to be infected by Bd since 2006, without evident direct cost or mass mortality events being observed. During 5 years of sampling (2007-2011), we captured 273 newts in the main infected area of the Limbara Mountain in the North of Sardinia, and, through epidemiological and age analyzes, we assess that Bd directly affected juvenile recruitment, and it is related to difficulties in the development of the species, with an impact on the females growth.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46907088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-20DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10123
C. Dufresnes, P. Sourrouille, A. Olivier, J. Ballouard, M. Leccia, Rémi Tiné, M. Cheylan, Maxime Le Henanff, Jean Nicolas, S. Caron, G. Massez, A. Cluchier, Romain Levasseur, Fabien Pille, Olivier Peyre, M. Thibault, A. Crottini, Nicolas Fuento, P. Crochet
With five currently recognized species that form several secondary contact zones, slow worms (Anguidae: Anguis) offer a valuable model to study the fate of evolutionary lineages in the face of hybridization and genetic introgression. The relationships between the Western Slow Worm Anguis fragilis and the Italian Slow Worm Anguis veronensis are particularly puzzling. Their respective distributions remain poorly known on the edges of their parapatric ranges, as both species lack external differentiation. Contra earlier mitochondrial phylogenies, new phylogenomic inferences have shown that A. fragilis and A. veronensis are sister taxa, thus casting doubts on their specific status. In this study, we analyze the A. fragilis/veronensis transition in southeastern France, based on one mitochondrial (ND2) and two nuclear (PRLR and HA1) genetic markers in 81 specimens from 61 localities. The ranges of A. fragilis and A. veronensis roughly extends northwest and southeast of the Rhône-Durance valleys, respectively, with clear signs of introgressive hybridization in the areas of contact (notably the eastern parts of the lower Rhône valley). Based on the three molecular markers analyzed, gene flow does not seem to reach outside the narrow hybrid zone, which likely indicates (incomplete) intrinsic reproductive isolation. Hence, we provisionally suggest maintaining A. veronensis as a separate species from A. fragilis. More generally, patterns of genetic divergence, external differentiation, and hybridization (both historical and contemporary) in Anguis ssp. supports a speciation continuum spanning from cryptic, genetically compatible alloparapatric lineages to phenotypically distinct, deeply diverged and fully reproductively isolated taxa able to coexist in sympatry.
{"title":"Exploring the speciation continuum of slow worms: location and extent of the Anguis fragilis/veronensis hybrid zone in southeastern France","authors":"C. Dufresnes, P. Sourrouille, A. Olivier, J. Ballouard, M. Leccia, Rémi Tiné, M. Cheylan, Maxime Le Henanff, Jean Nicolas, S. Caron, G. Massez, A. Cluchier, Romain Levasseur, Fabien Pille, Olivier Peyre, M. Thibault, A. Crottini, Nicolas Fuento, P. Crochet","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10123","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10123","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000With five currently recognized species that form several secondary contact zones, slow worms (Anguidae: Anguis) offer a valuable model to study the fate of evolutionary lineages in the face of hybridization and genetic introgression. The relationships between the Western Slow Worm Anguis fragilis and the Italian Slow Worm Anguis veronensis are particularly puzzling. Their respective distributions remain poorly known on the edges of their parapatric ranges, as both species lack external differentiation. Contra earlier mitochondrial phylogenies, new phylogenomic inferences have shown that A. fragilis and A. veronensis are sister taxa, thus casting doubts on their specific status. In this study, we analyze the A. fragilis/veronensis transition in southeastern France, based on one mitochondrial (ND2) and two nuclear (PRLR and HA1) genetic markers in 81 specimens from 61 localities. The ranges of A. fragilis and A. veronensis roughly extends northwest and southeast of the Rhône-Durance valleys, respectively, with clear signs of introgressive hybridization in the areas of contact (notably the eastern parts of the lower Rhône valley). Based on the three molecular markers analyzed, gene flow does not seem to reach outside the narrow hybrid zone, which likely indicates (incomplete) intrinsic reproductive isolation. Hence, we provisionally suggest maintaining A. veronensis as a separate species from A. fragilis. More generally, patterns of genetic divergence, external differentiation, and hybridization (both historical and contemporary) in Anguis ssp. supports a speciation continuum spanning from cryptic, genetically compatible alloparapatric lineages to phenotypically distinct, deeply diverged and fully reproductively isolated taxa able to coexist in sympatry.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48361314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-13DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10121
Nadia Vicenzi, Natalin Vicente
Headbobbing represents one of the primary sources of communication in Iguanian lizards. Here, we describe and analyze for the first time the form and structure of the headbob display in a species of the Phymaturus genus, and compare it across sexes, social contexts, and with other species of its family. We video-recorded Phymaturus palluma adult lizards, obtained the form and structure of headbobs and evaluated the effect of sex and social context on their performing generalized linear mixed models. We found that in P. palluma, headbob is a complex display composed of several units. Headbob pattern is stereotyped, with less than 35% of variation between individuals, suggesting that it is species-specific. Moreover, units vary among sex and social context, revealing that this display is multicomponent and non-redundant following the multiple-message hypothesis. We also found that the headbob pattern was more complex than in other Liolaemidae lizards, which probably is related to the social systems registered in Phymaturus.
{"title":"Headbobing behavior in the high mountain lizard Phymaturus palluma: effects of sex and context","authors":"Nadia Vicenzi, Natalin Vicente","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10121","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Headbobbing represents one of the primary sources of communication in Iguanian lizards. Here, we describe and analyze for the first time the form and structure of the headbob display in a species of the Phymaturus genus, and compare it across sexes, social contexts, and with other species of its family. We video-recorded Phymaturus palluma adult lizards, obtained the form and structure of headbobs and evaluated the effect of sex and social context on their performing generalized linear mixed models. We found that in P. palluma, headbob is a complex display composed of several units. Headbob pattern is stereotyped, with less than 35% of variation between individuals, suggesting that it is species-specific. Moreover, units vary among sex and social context, revealing that this display is multicomponent and non-redundant following the multiple-message hypothesis. We also found that the headbob pattern was more complex than in other Liolaemidae lizards, which probably is related to the social systems registered in Phymaturus.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47038793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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