Footprints in the sand: independent reduction of subdigital lamellae in the Namib-Kalahari burrowing geckos.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
Trip Lamb, Aaron M Bauer

Abstract

Many desert organisms exhibit convergence, and certain physical factors such as windblown sands have generated remarkably similar ecomorphs across divergent lineages. The burrowing geckos Colopus, Chondrodactylus and Palmatogecko occupy dune ecosystems in the Namib and Kalahari deserts of southwest Africa. Considered closely related, they share several putative synapomorphies, including reduced subdigital pads (toe pads) and spinose digital scales. Though recognized as part of Africa's ecologically diverse Pachydactylus Group, the burrowing geckos' precise phylogenetic affinities remain elusive. Convergent pedal modification provides a tenable alternative explaining the geckos' derived terrestriality and adaptation to Namib and Kalahari sands. We generated a molecular phylogeny for the Pachydactylus Group to examine evolutionary relationships among the burrowing geckos and infer historical patterns of pedal character change. Bayesian and parsimony analyses revealed all three burrowing genera to be deeply nested within Pachydactylus, each genus belonging to a separate clade. Strong support for these distinct clades indicates ecomorphological adaptations for burrowing have evolved independently three times in the southern Pachyda...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 12, 2013·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Alyssa Y StarkAli Dhinojwala
Jun 6, 2009·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Nick GravishKellar Autumn
Mar 8, 2011·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Ryan D MaladenDaniel I Goldman
Aug 7, 2009·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Anthony P Russell, Timothy E Higham
Jul 5, 2012·PloS One·Tony GambleAaron M Bauer
Dec 31, 2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Timothy E HighamAnthony P Russell
Aug 27, 2014·Zoology : Analysis of Complex Systems, ZACS·Jonas O Wolff, Stanislav N Gorb
Apr 24, 2017·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·T GambleA M Bauer
Nov 18, 2016·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Aleksandra V Birn-Jeffery, Timothy E Higham
Apr 1, 2016·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Peter H NiewiarowskiAli Dhinojwala
May 20, 2008·The Anatomical Record : Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology·Anne M Peattie
Mar 1, 2006·Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B, Molecular and Developmental Evolution·Kirsten E NicholsonAllan Larson
Mar 16, 2019·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Anthony P Russell, Tony Gamble
Mar 22, 2019·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Tony Gamble
Jan 13, 2017·BMC Evolutionary Biology·Matthew P HeinickeAaron M Bauer
Jun 3, 2015·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Alyssa Y StarkPeter H Niewiarowski
May 7, 2021·Systematic Biology·Edward D Burress, Martha M Muñoz

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