Tesis Magíster
Adaptation of Liolaemus fuscus (Squamata: Liolaemidae) to different levels of aridity
Autor
Araya-Donoso, Raúl
Institución
Resumen
Reptile adaptation to desert environments is a relevant topic in evolutionary biology. Aridity could constitute a strong selective pressure on organisms that colonize these habitats which can develop morphological, physiological and behavioral features that confer better survival in this extreme environmental condition. In our study, we used the lizard Liolaemus fuscus to study adaptation to aridity. Using both a genomic (ddRAD sequencing) and a morphological/morphometric approach, we searched for candidate loci and corporal features related to adaptation to the desert by comparing populations of Liolaemus fuscus that inhabit the Atacama Desert with others from the Mediterranean forests from central Chile. Results showed clear differences between desert and forest populations with both genetic and morphological data. Analyses detected 81 candidate genes under divergent selection that showed overrepresentation of functions related to cellular membrane, macromolecules degradation and gene transcription. In the case of morphological data, the analyses showed that desert lizards had smaller body size, longer limbs, bigger heads and longer tails than forest L. fuscus, and bigger eyeballs and more dorsoventrally compressed heads. The genetic and morphological features suggest adaptations related to processes of osmoregulation, resource utilization and locomotion, that could be advantageous for lizards to better confront desert conditions. This study provides insights for the research of genetic adaptation to aridity in reptiles, especially in diverse groups as Liolaemus. PFCHA-Becas Tesis en proceso de publicación en revista científica PFCHA-Becas