Pérez i de Lanuza, G., Carretero, M.A. and Font, E. (2017), Intensity of male-male competition predicts morph diversity in a color polymorphic lizard. Evolution, 71: 1832-1840. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13256

Sexual selection is one of the main processes involved in the emergence and maintenance of heritable color polymorphisms in a variety of taxa. Here, we test whether the intensity of sexual selection, estimated from population sex ratio, predicts morph diversity in Podarcis muralis, a color polymorphic lizard with discrete white, yellow, orange, white-orange, and yellow-orange male and female phenotypes (i.e., morphs). In a sample of 116 Pyrenean populations and 5421 lizards, sex ratios (m/f) vary from 0.29 to 2.5, with the number of morphs for each sex ranging from 2 to 5. Male-biased sex ratios are associated with increased morph diversity as measured with Shannon’s diversity index. The main factor accounting for this relationship is male morph richness (i.e., the number of morphs). In contrast, female morph diversity is not related to sex ratio. These results suggest a relationship between the intensity of male intrasexual competition and male morph diversity. While other selective forces may interact with sexual selection in maintaining the color polymorphisms in P. muralis, this evidence suggests a complex evolutionary scenario possibly involving frequency-dependent selection of alternative reproductive tactics and/or complex balancing selection.

Diego-Rasilla, F.J., Pérez-Mellado, V. & Pérez-Cembranos, A. (2017). Spontaneous magnetic alignment behaviour in free-living lizards. Sci Nat, 104: 13. doi:10.1007/s00114-017-1439-7

The evidence from this study suggests that free-living lacertid lizards exhibit magnetic alignment behaviour, since their body alignments cannot be explained by an effect of the sun’s position. On the contrary, lizard orientations were significantly correlated with geomagnetic field values at the time of each observation. We suggest that this behaviour might provide lizards with a constant directional reference while they are sun basking. This directional reference might improve their mental map of space to accomplish efficient escape behaviour. This study is the first to provide spontaneous magnetic alignment behaviour in free-living reptiles. leer más >>>

Ferreira CC, Santos X, Carretero MA. 2016. Does ecophysiology mediate reptile responses to fire regimes? Evidence from Iberian lizards. PeerJ 4:e2107 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2107

Carretero, M. A., Salvador, A. (2016). Lagartija parda – Podarcis liolepis. En: Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles. Salvador, A., Marco, A. (Eds.). Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid. http://www.vertebradosibericos.org/. Ir al enlace.

Gomes V, Carretero MA, Kaliontzopoulou A (2016) The relevance of morphology for habitat use and locomotion in two species of wall lizards. Acta Oecologica 70:87–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2015.12.005

Understanding if morphological differences between organisms that occupy different environments are associated to differences in functional performance can suggest a functional link between environmental and morphological variation. In this study we examined three components of the ecomorphological paradigm – morphology, locomotor performance and habitat use – using two syntopic wall lizards endemic to the Iberian Peninsula as a case study to establish whether morphological variation is associated with habitat use and determine the potential relevance of locomotor performance for such an association. Differences in habitat use between both lizards matched patterns of morphological variation. Indeed, individuals of Podarcis guadarramae lusitanicus, which are more flattened, used more rocky environments, whereas Podarcis bocagei, which have higher heads, used more vegetation than rocks. These patterns translated into a significant association between morphology and habitat use. Nevertheless, the two species were only differentiated in some of the functional traits quantified, and locomotor performance did not exhibit an association with morphological traits. Our results suggest that the link between morphology and habitat use is mediated by refuge use, rather than locomotor performance, in this system, and advise caution when extrapolating morphology-performance-environment associations across organisms.