Phenotypic diversity in female body shape is related to reproductive potential in Tupinambis merianae lizards

CARDOZO, GABRIELA; NARETTO, SERGIO; BLENGINI CECILIA S; CHIARAVIGLIO MARGARITA

ANNALES ZOOLOGICI FENNICI

FINNISH ZOOLOGICAL BOTANICAL PUBLISHING BOARD

Lugar: Helsinki; Año: 2015 vol. 52 p. 129 - 144

0003-455X

A major goal in evolutionary biology is to determine why phenotypic variation arises. The mechanisms involved in sexual selection might play a key role in the evolutionary dynamics of species because of their effects on the variance of sexual phenotypic traits. Furthermore, an organism?s phenotype is considered a causal link to its reproductive output and thence to its microevolutionary fitness; therefore how sexual selective pressures influence lizard female morphology is an interesting question. We assessed the phenotypic diversification of body shape in female lizards of Tupinambis merianae, and evaluated how phenotypic selection shapes sexual morphological traits. The results obtained support our hypothesis that phenotypic variation in female lizard body shape could be evidenced in phenotypic diversification gradients. Moreover, we showed that some sexual morphological traits would be modeled by sexual selection forces acting on female body shape to increment energetic reserves. Our study on the significance of morphological patterns suggests evolutionary causes of phenotypic diversification, therefore contributing to fill part of the striking lack of knowledge on the relationship between phenotype and reproductive strategies in female lizards.