Life on a beach for island lizards: phenotypic divergence in the face of
gene flow
Abstract
Morphological divergence under gene flow was investigated in the wall
lizard Teira dugesii from the Atlantic island of Madeira island.
Lizards (n=334) were sampled using a matched pairs design at four
distinct coastal localities. Matched pairs comprised adjacent
(<1 km) grey shingle beach and inland sites. Luminances of
specific dorsal areas were recorded for each RGB channel from digital
photographs taken in the field. Lizards were found to be significantly
darker at beach sites than inland sites. Geometric morphometric analyses
using 35 landmarks placed on dorsal photographs of the head revealed
significant divergence between beach/inland habitats: wider snouts were
found at beach sites. Genotyping-by-sequencing of 93 individuals
provided 19311 cross-genomic SNPs. A spatial principal components
analysis showed significant genomic divergence across the four sampled
localities and within these localities. However, there was no evidence
that beach and inland populations formed distinct lineages. Patterns of
genomic divergence were compared with those generated from simulations
under three models. Primary findings were repeated across all four
localities. The model of divergence without gene flow was rejected,
while the most strongly supported model incorporating two periods of
gene flow: an early period of lower gene flow followed by a period of
higher gene flow. Gene flow from inland to beach was greater than that
in the opposite direction. This study demonstrates ecologically
significant morphological divergence in the face of gene flow and adds
to understanding of how divergence and speciation may occur within small
islands.