Date: May 9, 2018
Source: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Sporting a bright red-and-yellow
dewlap under its chin, the color-changing Bahamian anole lizard is a popular
exotic pet. This wily anole has escaped captivity on enough occasions to
successfully invade large areas across the Western Hemisphere. At first glance,
this suggests that the anole is well-suited to adapt to a changing climate. But
a new study led by a Smithsonian researcher, suggests that may not be the case.
Michael Logan, post-doctoral
fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, studies the
brown anole in its home range in the Bahamas. His most recent study shows that
the anole's genetic makeup is surprisingly ill-suited to future climate
scenarios. The anole is therefore unlikely to adapt fast enough to keep pace
with current rates of environmental change.
The findings, published May 9
in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, have important implications for the
future of cold-blooded species (such as other reptiles, amphibians and fish),
especially since rapid evolution is considered a key way for many of these
species to survive a global increase in temperatures.
"Brown anoles have huge
population sizes and therefore should have loads of genetic variation in most
traits, permitting rapid adaptation," Logan said. "Instead, we found
that genetic variation in several traits that are critical under climate change
is basically zero."
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