Evaporative water loss in insular populations of Anolis cristatellus (Reptilia : Sauria) in the British Virgin Islands. III. Response to the end of drought and a common garden experiment
G. Perry et al., Evaporative water loss in insular populations of Anolis cristatellus (Reptilia : Sauria) in the British Virgin Islands. III. Response to the end of drought and a common garden experiment, BIOTROPICA, 32(4), 2000, pp. 722-728
Evaporative water loss in Anolis cristatellus from the British Virgin Islan
ds was negatively correlated with the aridity of their habitats. Phenotypic
plasticity and/or differential mortality of less well-adapted individuals
allowed rapid changes within populations. Here we report the results of two
studies intended to differentiate between the two processes. We rook advan
tage of the end of a major drought to study the rapidity with which populat
ions recovered from unusually dry conditions. Population values changed rap
idly from those measured in the past. There was no correlation between long
-term habitat aridity and measured water-loss rate, bur the multiyear corre
lation between aridity and skin resistance to water loss persisted. We also
conducted a common garden experiment in which animals from the wettest and
driest habitats were housed under intermediate conditions for one month. W
e detected no change in skin resistance to water loss in any of the three p
opulations we studied; however, the mass of lizards from Sage Mountain incr
eased significantly during the experiment, and their water loss per unit ma
ss decreased significantly. These results support the existence of both phe
notypic plasticity and genetic differences resulting from rapid selection w
ithin populations. The magnitude and relative importance of the two, howeve
r, remain to be determined.