@misc{10481/58941,
year = {2019},
month = {12},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10481/58941},
abstract = {Predation usually selects for visual crypsis, the colour matching between an animal and
its background. Geographic co-variation between animal and background colourations is well
known, but how crypsis varies along elevational gradients remains unknown. We predict that dorsal
colouration in the lizard Psammodromus algirus should covary with the colour of bare soil—where this
lizard is mainly found—along a 2200 m elevational gradient in Sierra Nevada (SE Spain). Moreover,
we predict that crypsis should decrease with elevation for two reasons: (1) Predation pressure typically
decreases with elevation, and (2) at high elevation, dorsal colouration is under conflicting selection
for both crypsis and thermoregulation. By means of standardised photographies of the substratum
and colourimetric measurements of lizard dorsal skin, we tested the colour matching between lizard
dorsum and background. We found that, along the gradient, lizard dorsal colouration covaried
with the colouration of bare soil, but not with other background elements where the lizard is rarely
detected. Moreover, supporting our prediction, the degree of crypsis against bare soil decreased with
elevation. Hence, our findings suggest local adaptation for crypsis in this lizard along an elevational
gradient, but this local adaptation would be hindered at high elevations.},
organization = {This study has been economically supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (project
CGL2009-13185).},
publisher = {MDPI},
keywords = {Crypsis},
keywords = {Body colour},
keywords = {Elevational gradients},
keywords = {Local adaptation},
keywords = {Psammodromus algirus},
keywords = {Predation},
keywords = {Lizards},
title = {Crypsis Decreases with Elevation in a Lizard},
doi = {10.3390/d11120236},
author = {Moreno Rueda, Gregorio and González Granda, Laureano G. and Reguera, Senda and Zamora-Camacho, Francisco Javier and Melero, Elena},
}