SSRP Abstract

Board 7: Let’s Include the Ladies: Body Dimensions in the Common Wall Lizard Across Populations With Varying Establishment Histories

Student Scientist: Alyssa Head ’24
Research Mentor: Eric Gangloff (OWU Department of Biological Sciences)

The size and shape of animals’ body parts are important for how they perform essential tasks in their environment. To test the hypothesis that the shape and size of various body parts vary among populations in the common wall lizard, we measured body dimensions in male and female lizards, including head, limbs, toes, tail, shoulder girdle, and pelvic girdle. We then tested whether the body dimensions differ between the sexes and among populations in Ohio, USA and France with very different ecological histories.

The size and shape of animals’ body parts are important for how they perform essential tasks in their environment. Additionally, body morphology can change and adapt over time depending on habitat structure and can therefore vary across populations within a species. Changes in lizard body shape have yet to be characterized across populations with varying establishment histories in the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), a successful global colonizer. Further, most conclusions about variation in lizard morphology have been based on only males, leaving many unanswered questions about the female sex. Female common wall lizards are essential to include in studies because they are the limiting factor in reproduction and population establishment. Therefore, they experience selective pressures not only for survival but also for reproduction. To address this knowledge gap, we measured various body dimensions in male and female lizards, including head size, limb segments, toes, tail, shoulder girdle, and pelvic girdle. We compared lizards from invasive populations with different establishment histories in Ohio, USA (Cincinnati, where lizards have been established for over 70 years, and Columbus, a recently-established population) and native populations from both low-elevation and high-elevation mountain habitats in France. After standardizing to body size, we used multivariate statistical tools to test the hypothesis that morphology varies among these populations and to quantify differences between males and females. This study thus provides insights into how vertebrates may adapt to novel environments and how selective pressures might shape males and females differently.