If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.
If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.
journal article
The Nature of Niche Expansion in West Indian Anolis Lizards II: Evolutionary ComponentsEvolution
Vol. 30, No. 4 (Dec., 1976)
, pp. 677-692 (16 pages)
Published By: Society for the Study of Evolution
//doi.org/10.2307/2407809
//www.jstor.org/stable/2407809
Read and download
Log in through your school or library
Read Online (Free) relies on page scans, which are not currently available to screen readers. To access this article, please contact JSTOR User Support. We'll provide a PDF copy for your screen reader.With a personal account, you can read up to 100 articles each month for free.
Get StartedAlready have an account? Log in
Monthly Plan
- Access everything in the JPASS collection
- Read the full-text of every article
- Download up to 10 article PDFs to save and keep
Yearly Plan
- Access everything in the JPASS collection
- Read the full-text of every article
- Download up to 120 article PDFs to save and keep
Purchase a PDF
Purchase this article for $4.00 USD.
How does it work?
- Select the purchase option.
- Check out using a credit card or bank account with PayPal.
- Read your article online and download the PDF from your email or your account.
Abstract
To determine what evolutionary strategies are involved in niche expansion in West Indian Anolis lizards, the evolution of toe lamellae, dorsal scales and head length were compared among populations known to have different niche widths. The divergence in dorsal scale size, as well as allelic frequencies between forest and open populations suggests that ecotypic variation is a component of habitat expansion in anoles. Within a given habitat, lamellae and dorsal scales showed no tendency toward increased variation in populations having broader niches. Although head length variation was strongly correlated with the width of the food niche in adult male sagrei populations, this tendency was interpreted as a direct consequence of the way lizards grow and the effects of sampling over a range of different size classes. Thus, within-habitat niche expansion does not entail diversifying selection for specialized phenotypes and associated increases in adaptive variation. Rather, the evolutionary component involves selection for a compromise morphology capable of exploiting a variety of perch sites, thermally diverse conditions and an optimal range of prey sizes. These results are viewed as a direct consequence of territoriality which implies fine-grained resource utilization by members of the population and generates phenotypic convergence rather than divergence.
Journal Information
Evolution, published for the Society for the Study of Evolution, is the premier publication devoted to the study of organic evolution and the integration of the various fields of science concerned with evolution. The journal presents significant and original results that extend our understanding of evolutionary phenomena and processes.
Rights & Usage
This item is part of a JSTOR Collection.
For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions
Evolution © 1976 Society for the Study of Evolution
Request Permissions