Anoles throughout the Caribbean are found in urban environments and differ in the extent to which they utilize anthropogenic habitats. There is strong phylogenetic signal in urban tolerance but is not correlated with ecomorphology of anole species. Previous work by Dr. Kristin Winchell (currently a postdoctoral researcher at Washington University in St. Louis with Dr. Jonathan Losos) and collaborators showed that Anolis cristatellus commonly uses anthropogenic perches (e.g.- buildings and fences) in urban habitats, and that A. cristatellus has repeatedly adapted to urban environments. Urban A. cristatellus have longer limbs and greater numbers of lamellae when compared to their more rural counterparts, a pattern that is repeated island-wide.
With the prediction that species within the same ecomorph class would adapt to urban environments similarly, sampling has begun with four species from the Greater Antilles. Three species belong to the trunk-ground ecomorph (Anolis cybotes, Anolis lineatopus, and Anolis sagrei) and one trunk-crown species (Anolis grahami). In the Bahamas, examining Anolis sagrei she found significant shifts in relative limb length but in the opposite direction as seen in A. cristatellus. Meaning that urban A. sagrei have relatively shorter limbs, but it is worth noting that they have longer absolute limb length along with larger body sizes. Preliminary analyses of Anolis cybotes (Dominican Republic) and Anolis grahami (Jamaica), suggest shifts in relative and absolute limb lengths consistent with the morphological differences found in urban A. cristatellus. In Anolis lineatopus, the suggested shifts in relative and absolute limb length are consistent with those shifts seen in A. sagrei.
Additionally, Kristin had all of us at the conference beat when it came to attire. Her Anolis lineatopus dress that she designed the art work for was spectacular. If you are interested in her Anolis and urban stickers and art– check out her work on RedBubble— all proceeds from her art goes to printing more stickers for outreach purposes in the communities she does her field research in.
Excellent job Kristin and we are all looking forward to learning more about this work!