scholarly journals Lizard colour plasticity tracks background seasonal changes

Biology Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. bio052415
Author(s):  
Daniele Pellitteri-Rosa ◽  
Andrea Gazzola ◽  
Simone Todisco ◽  
Fabio Mastropasqua ◽  
Cristiano Liuzzi
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Natural Area ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Environmental Background ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

ABSTRACTEnvironmental heterogeneity on a spatial and temporal scale fosters an organism's capacity to plastically alter coloration. Predation risk might favour the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in colour patterns, as individuals who change colour throughout the year may be able to improve their fitness. Here we explored the change in dorsal pigmentation of the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus campestris) at three time points (March, July, October) during a period of activity in a Mediterranean natural area in southern Italy. Following a preliminary investigation conducted in 2018, during 2019 we captured 135 lizards and took a picture of their ventral scales to check for possible recapture over the sessions. Lizard dorsal pictures were collected in the field with the support of a reference chart to quantitatively estimate chromatic variables (hue, saturation and value). At the same time, pictures of the environmental background were collected. Our findings suggest that lizards are capable of altering dorsal coloration during seasonal change. They vary from green at the onset of spring, to brownish in the middle of summer and to a greyish colour in October. This modification closely followed environmental background colour variation and enhanced lizard crypsis during each season.

scholarly journals Lizard colour plasticity tracks background seasonal changes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Pellitteri-Rosa ◽  
Andrea Gazzola ◽  
Simone Todisco ◽  
Fabio Mastropasqua ◽  
Cristiano Liuzzi
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Seasonal Change ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Environmental Background ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

AbstractEnvironmental heterogeneity on spatial and temporal scale fosters organism’s capacity to plastically alter coloration. Predation risk might favour the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in colour patterns, as individuals, which change colour throughout the year, could be able to improve their fitness. Here we explored the change in dorsal pigmentation of the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus campestris) along three time points (March, July and October) during the period of activity. Lizard dorsal pictures were collected on the field, with the support of a reference chart to quantitatively estimate chromatic variables (hue, saturation and value, HSV). At the same time, pictures of grassy coverings (the most representative portion of the environment subjected to normal seasonal change), were collected. Our findings show that lizards are capable of altering dorsal coloration during seasonal change. They vary from green, at the onset of spring, to brownish in the middle of summer, and greyish colour in October. This modification closely followed environmental background colour variation and enhanced lizard crypsis during each season.

Four Cases of Complete Melanistic Italian Wall Lizard [Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810)] in Southern Italy and Sicily Island

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Reina ◽  
Filippo Spadola ◽  
Manuel Morici ◽  
Paola Sgroi ◽  
Antonino Marcianò
Keyword(s):  
Southern Italy ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

scholarly journals Biological responses in pesticide exposed lizards (Podarcis siculus)

Ecotoxicology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Simbula ◽  
Ginevra Moltedo ◽  
Barbara Catalano ◽  
Giacomo Martuccio ◽  
Claudia Sebbio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Biotransformation Enzymes ◽  
Biological Responses ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Parasite Infections ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard ◽  
Detoxification Process ◽  
Accurate Quantification

AbstractThe release of contaminants as herbicides, fungicides and insecticides into the environment has been listed as one of the six major contributors to the global decline of reptiles. Although reptiles may face severe risk from contaminants due to their ecology and physiology, they are currently less studied than other vertebrate groups. In the present work, we investigated if and how different types of field treatment (conventional and organic) affected the health status of Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) individuals in central Italy. We chose a multi-biomarker approach that evaluated the biological responses of lizards to the treatment by means of AChE activity in the nervous system, biotransformation enzymes activities and oxidative stress in the liver, micronuclei frequency measured in the erythrocytes, and rate of intestinal parasitic infection. Our findings showed evidence of effects of treatment in conventional areas and between sexes with significant oxidative stress due to hydroxyl radicals, that caused DNA damage. No difference of intestinal parasite infections was found among treatments. Podarcis siculus seems to be a good bioindicator in ecotoxicological studies and potentially in risk assessment of pesticides, although further analyses in laboratory and in the field are needed to achieve more accurate quantification of specific pesticide effects in relation to known exposure history and to understand if other mechanisms were involved in the toxicity and detoxification process of pesticides for this species.

scholarly journals Invasive lizard has fewer parasites than native congener

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Tomé ◽  
D. James Harris ◽  
Ana Perera ◽  
Isabel Damas-Moreira
Keyword(s):  
18S Rrna ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Average Intensity ◽  
Invasive Potential ◽  
Lizard Species ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Species Establishment ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

AbstractInvasive species can carry parasites to introduced locations, which may be key to understand the success or failure of species establishment and the invasive potential of introduced species. We compared the prevalence and infection levels of haemogregarine blood parasites between two sympatric congeneric species in Lisbon, Portugal: the invasive Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) and the native green Iberian wall lizard (Podarcis virescens). The two species had significant differences in their infection levels: while P. virescens had high prevalence of infection (69.0%), only one individual of P. siculus was infected (3.7%), and while P. virescens exhibited an average intensity of 1.36%, the infected P. siculus individual had an infection rate of only 0.04%. Genetic analyses of 18S rRNA identified two different haemogregarine haplotypes in P. virescens. Due to the low levels of infection, we were not able to amplify parasite DNA from the infected P. siculus individual, although it was morphologically similar to those found in P. virescens. Since other studies also reported low levels of parasites in P. siculus, we hypothesize that this general lack of parasites could be one of the factors contributing to its competitive advantage over native lizard species and introduction success.

Ground Stone Tools from Serra Orlando (Morgantina) and Stone Axe Studies in Sicily and Southern Italy

1989 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Leighton ◽  
J. E. Dixon ◽  
A. M. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Hellenistic Period ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Ground Stone ◽  
Metal Tools ◽  
Polished Stone Axes

Ground and polished stone axes in southern Italy received little attention after a period of lively interest in the late 19th century. The great number of axes from archaeological sites and collections suggests widespread manufacture and exchange on a considerable scale. In eastern Sicily the production of basalt axes was long-lived, beginning in the Neolithic (Stentinello phase) and reaching a peak in the Copper and Early Bronze Ages. Greenstone axes are also found throughout these periods. By the Middle or Late Bronze Age, stone axes were probably little used, having been largely replaced by metal tools.The axes from Serra Orlando (where the historical site of Morgantina is located) form one of the largest collections in Sicily from a single site, where they were found in multi-period contexts, dating from the third millennium BC until the Hellenistic period. Petrological analysis suggests that basalt from the Iblean hills was frequently used for their manufacture, while the serpentinites, tremolite-bearing rocks and pyroxenite probably originate in the Calabro-Peloritani Arc. The results of the analysis of thin sections are presented in appendixes. Raw materials, distribution and manufacture of axes are discussed and a preliminary investigation of their typology is presented. Multiple functions for Sicilian axes, related to morphology and raw materials, are suggested by their archaeological contexts.

scholarly journals The Colours of Ophiocomina Nigra (Abildgaard): I Colour Variation and its Relation to Distribution

1962 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Fontaine
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Evidence ◽  
The Body ◽  
Distinct Difference ◽  
Body Colour ◽  
General Body ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Geographical Difference ◽  
Orange Yellow ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Colour Patterns

The ophiuroid, Ophiocomina nigra, is noted for its variability of colour, a phenomenon most pronounced where the species also has its greatest distribution in depth. Observations have been made on two geographically distinct populations, from the vicinities of Millport and Plymouth. The body colour of the observed animals ranges in a continuously graded series from black to orange-yellow. While both populations exhibit analogous variations, there is a distinct difference in the range and tone of coloration which each displays. It is suggested that this geographical difference is correlated in some degree with differences in colour tone of the substratum. It was observed that the incidence of light-coloured phases in each population increased with increasing depths, and some statistical evidence supports this conclusion. Thus, at least two factors, depth and substratum, may affect the distribution of colour variations in O. nigraIn addition to the variations in general body colour, there are two distinct colour patterns found on the disk. These are probably truly polymorphic and may be of cryptic value.A scheme of colour classification is described which facilitates observations in the field and in the laboratory.

scholarly journals Detection of Leishmania tarentolae in lizards, sand flies and dogs in southern Italy, where Leishmania infantum is endemic: hindrances and opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jairo Alfonso Mendoza-Roldan ◽  
Maria Stefania Latrofa ◽  
Roberta Iatta ◽  
Ranju R. S. Manoj ◽  
Rossella Panarese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leishmania Infantum ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Antibody Test ◽  
Canine Leishmaniasis ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Leishmania Tarentolae ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Vertebrate Hosts ◽  
And Control

Abstract Background Leishmania tarentolae is a protozoan isolated from geckoes (Tarentola annularis, Tarentola mauritanica), which is considered non-pathogenic and is transmitted by herpetophilic Sergentomyia spp. sand flies. This species occurs in sympatry with Leishmania infantum in areas where canine leishmaniasis is endemic. In the present study, we investigated the circulation of L. tarentolae and L. infantum in sand flies, dogs and lizards in a dog shelter in southern Italy, where canine leishmaniasis by L. infantum is endemic. Methods Sheltered dogs (n = 100) negative for Leishmania spp. (March 2020) were screened by immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) using promastigotes of both species at two time points (June 2020 and March 2021). Whole blood from dogs, tissues of Podarcis siculus lizards (n = 28) and sand flies (n = 2306) were also sampled and tested by a duplex real-time PCR (dqPCR). Host blood meal was assessed in sand flies by PCR. Results Overall, 16 dogs became positive for L. infantum and/or L. tarentolae by IFAT at one or both sampling periods. One canine blood sample was positive for L. infantum, whilst two for L. tarentolae by dqPCR. At the cytology of lizard blood, Leishmania spp. amastigote-like forms were detected in erythrocytes. Twenty-two tissue samples, mostly lung (21.4%), scored molecularly positive for L. tarentolae, corresponding to 10 lizards (i.e., 35.7%). Of the female Sergentomyia minuta sampled (n = 1252), 158 scored positive for L. tarentolae, four for L. infantum, and one co-infected. Two Phlebotomus perniciosus (out of 29 females) were positive for L. tarentolae. Engorged S. minuta (n = 10) fed on humans, and one P. perniciosus, positive for L. tarentolae, on lagomorphs. Conclusions Dogs and lacertid lizards (Podarcis siculus) were herein found for the first time infected by L. tarentolae. The detection of both L. tarentolae and L. infantum in S. minuta and P. perniciosus suggests their sympatric circulation, with a potential overlap in vertebrate hosts. The interactions between L. tarentolae and L. infantum should be further investigated in both vectors and vertebrate hosts to understand the potential implications for the diagnosis and control of canine leishmaniasis in endemic areas. Graphical abstract

scholarly journals First Record of the Northern Italian Wall Lizard (Podarcis siculus campestris) in Missouri

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-45
Author(s):  
Jeffrey T. Briggler ◽  
Rhonda L. Rimer ◽  
Guntram Deichsel
Keyword(s):  
First Record ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

scholarly journals Concerted variation in melanogenesis genes underlies emergent patterning of plumage in capuchino seedeaters

2022 ◽  
Vol 289 (1966) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Estalles ◽  
Sheela P. Turbek ◽  
María José Rodríguez-Cajarville ◽  
Luís Fábio Silveira ◽  
Kazumasa Wakamatsu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Communication ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Association Analyses ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Genomic Changes ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Coloration Patterns ◽  
Genomic Regions

Coloration traits are central to animal communication; they often govern mate choice, promote reproductive isolation and catalyse speciation. Specific genetic changes can cause variation in coloration, yet far less is known about how overall coloration patterns—which involve combinations of multiple colour patches across the body—can arise and are genomically controlled. We performed genome-wide association analyses to link genomic changes to variation in melanin (eumelanin and pheomelanin) concentration in feathers from different body parts in the capuchino seedeaters, an avian radiation with diverse colour patterns despite remarkably low genetic differentiation across species. Cross-species colour variation in each plumage patch is associated with unique combinations of variants at a few genomic regions, which include mostly non-coding (presumably regulatory) areas close to known pigmentation genes. Genotype–phenotype associations can vary depending on patch colour and are stronger for eumelanin pigmentation, suggesting eumelanin production is tightly regulated. Although some genes are involved in colour variation in multiple patches, in some cases, the SNPs associated with colour changes in different patches segregate spatially. These results suggest that coloration patterning in capuchinos is generated by the modular combination of variants that regulate multiple melanogenesis genes, a mechanism that may have promoted this rapid radiation.

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