Where do you work and what do you do?

 I am currently a graduate student at the University of Michigan, but I conduct most of my research in the tropics of Central and South America. I am broadly interested in trying to answer the question of how to explain patterns of phenotypic diversity found in nature, especially in the context of color and signaling. In other words, why do organisms look the way they do – why do they have certain colors over others, and what sort of information are they conveying by showing off those colors? When not focusing on my research, I spend virtually all of my free time photographing as many animals as I can find, as well as spending countless hours sorting said photos into their respective taxonomic groups. What can I say, I’m a biodiversity nerd!

What aspects of anole biology do you study, and what have you learned? 

I study the evolution of color in anole dewlaps. Even with over 400 species, all anoles possess this extendable throat fan, and it’s often brightly colored. Although we have some understanding of how the dewlap functions as a signal (e.g., species recognition, competitive interactions, courtship, predator avoidance/deterrence), it remains unclear why there are so many different colors of dewlaps. To try to tackle this question, I am looking at how the evolution of these colors may be influenced by the light environment. Since the reproduction and/or survival of an anole can depend on whether its dewlap is serving as an efficient signal, it’s easy to see how the light environment might determine which colors are favored by selection. For instance, a bright orange dewlap would likely show up much better than a dull green one under the dense canopy of the rainforest, just as a pitch-black dewlap would probably be an excellent signal in a bright, open field. I am testing this idea using an experimental island study in the Panama Canal. My study species is the Panamanian slender anole, males of which can have a mostly orange dewlap or a mostly white dewlap. By introducing these lizards onto a multitude of very tiny, highly variable islands in the canal, I can test which color will “win out” over time in different light environments. 

How and why did you start studying anoles? 

 I have loved reptiles since I was a child, so it was by no coincidence that the very first lab I worked in as an undergraduate had a breeding colony of anoles. While there, I studied physiology and metabolic rates. While I can say that metabolism work is not for me (shout out to the scientists who love it!), I very much enjoyed taking care of and working with the anoles, so I decided to stick with them throughout my undergraduate and graduate career.

What do you love most about studying anoles? 

 As someone interested in color, I think that dewlaps are anoles’ coolest feature. I love studying anoles and their dewlaps because I am constantly amazed by the astounding amount of diversity in this little flap of skin. In addition, as a researcher, it’s hard to complain about the incredibly high abundance and ease of capture for many of these species.

What is your favorite anole species? 

My favorite anole species would have to be the Meyer’s anole, Anolis johnmeyeri (named after the scientist, not the singer). This species, found in Honduras, has an absolutely gorgeous dewlap in both males and females. While large, colorful dewlaps are possessed exclusively by males in many anole species, female Meyer’s anoles have a dewlap that’s almost as large and equally as beautiful. Female dewlaps are bright yellow with a brilliant blue spot, and male dewlaps are bright red with the same blue spot. 

Where can people learn more about you and follow you online? 

Website: www.colorinnature.org

Instagram: @johndavidcurlis

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