Lizards living in different cities have similar genomic markers when compared to neighboring forest lizards, according to a new study published in . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Genetic variants associated with urbanization underlie physical differences in urban lizards, such as longer limbs and larger toe pads, indicating how these lizards evolved to adapt to urban environments. is in
Urbanization has dramatically changed the landscape around the world. It changes the way animals interact with nature, creates a ‘heat island’ with high temperatures, and damages local biodiversity. However, many organisms survive and even thrive in these urban environments, taking advantage of new types of human-made habitats. Researchers studying evolutionary changes in urban species have found, for example, that some populations undergo metabolic changes from new diets or become more heat tolerant.
“Urbanization has affected about two-thirds of the planet and is expected to intensify in the future, so it is important to understand how organisms adapt to changing environments. ‘ said Kristin Winchell, assistant professor of biology at NYU and lead author of the study. “In many ways, cities provide us with a natural laboratory to study adaptive change, because comparing urban populations to non-urban populations can help us respond to similar stressors and pressures in the short term. Because you can see how they react in between.”
Anolis Christatellus The lizard – a small-bodied species also known as the Puerto Rican crested anole – is commonly found in both urban and wooded areas of Puerto Rico. Anolis Christatellus Evolved certain traits to live in cities. It has larger toe pads with more specialized scales that allow it to cling to smooth surfaces such as walls and glass, and it has long limbs that help it sprint through open areas.
in the PNAS Survey, researchers saw 96 Anolis Christatellus We examined lizards in three regions of Puerto Rico (San Juan, Arecibo, and Mayagüez) and compared lizards in urban centers with lizards in the forests surrounding each city.
They first confirmed that lizard populations in the three regions were genetically distinct from each other, so if similarities were found in lizards in the three cities, urbanization could be to blame.We then measured the toe pads and legs and found that the urban lizard is considerably longer Limbs and large toe pads with more specialized scales on the toes confirm previous studies that these traits evolved to allow urban lizards to thrive in cities.
Understanding the genetic basis of these trait differences, Researchers performed several genomic analyzes on exomic DNA, of A region of the genome that encodes proteins. They identified a set of 33 genes found in his three regions of the lizard genome. These genes were repeatedly associated with urbanization across populations, including genes related to immune function and metabolism.
“Further analysis of these genes is needed to really understand what this finding means, but there is evidence that urban lizards are more damaged and have more parasites. “Similarly, urban anoles eat human food, which may have altered their metabolism,” Winchell said. increase.
In an additional analysis, they found 93 genes important for limb and skin development in urban lizards, providing a genomic explanation for the increased leg and toe pads.
“The physical differences seen in urban lizards appear to be reflected at the genomic level,” says Winchell. “If urban populations are evolving in parallel with physical and genomic changes, we may even be able to predict how populations will respond to urbanization simply by looking at genetic markers.”
“Understanding how animals adapt to urban environments can help us focus conservation efforts on those species most in need, and even build urban environments in ways that preserve all species.” added Winchell.
Do the differences between urban lizards also apply to people living in cities? Not necessarily, according to Winchell, because humans aren’t the whims of predators like lizards are. However, humans are exposed to some of the same urban factors that appear to contribute to other species’ adaptations, such as pollution and rising temperatures.
reference: Winchell K, Losos J, Revell L, Verrelli B, Geneva A. Genome-wide parallelism underlies modern adaptations in urban lizards. PNAS2023. Doi: 10.1073/pnas.2216789120
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