title: Widespread parallel population adaptation to climate variation across a radiation: implications for adaptation to climate change.
abstract: Global warming will impact species in a number of ways, and it is important to know the extent to which natural populations can adapt to anthropogenic climate change by natural selection. Parallel microevolution within separate species can demonstrate natural selection, but several studies of homoplasy have not yet revealed examples of widespread parallel evolution in a generic radiation. Taking into account primary phylogeographic divisions, we investigate numerous quantitative traits (size, shape, scalation, colour pattern and hue) in anole radiations from the mountainous Lesser Antillean islands. Adaptation to climatic differences can lead to very pronounced differences between spatially close populations with all studied traits showing some evidence of parallel evolution. Traits from shape, scalation, pattern and hue (particularly the latter) show widespread evolutionary parallels within these species in response to altitudinal climate variation greater than extreme anthropogenic climate change predicted for 2080. This gives strong evidence of the ability to adapt to climate variation by natural selection throughout this radiation. As anoles can evolve very rapidly, it suggests anthropogenic climate change is likely to be less of a conservation threat than other factors, such as habitat loss and invasive species, in this, Lesser Antillean, biodiversity hot spot.
authors: School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, ECW Building, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK.
authors: Roger S
authors: RS
authors: Thorpe
authors: Axel
authors: A
authors: Barlow
authors: Anita
authors: A
authors: Malhotra
authors: Yann
authors: Y
authors: Surget-Groba
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D000531:Altitude; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D057231:Climate Change; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D005828:Genetics, Population; D008116:Lizards / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D065947:Rainforest; D014900:West Indies
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial
keywords: Anolis; biodiversity conservation; climate change; island archipelagos; natural selection; parallel evolution; phylogeography