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Life at high altitudes is particularly challenging for ectothermic animals like reptiles and involves the evolution of specialised adaptations to deal with low temperatures, hypoxia and intense UV radiation. As a result, only very few reptile taxa are able to survive above 5,000 m elevation and herpetological observations from these altitudes are e...
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The presence of the lizard Coleonyx elegans was mentioned for Hidalgo in a recent study on the herpetofauna of this state. However, that work does not present any information to confirm its presence in the state. Here we present the first records with a precise locality for the state, that were deposited in the herpetological collection of the Facu...
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... The highest-altitude reptile in the world (Liolaemus aff. tacnae) was recently recorded at 5400 m elevation in Peru [3]. The red-tailed toad-head lizard (Phrynocephalus erythrurus) native to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) inhabits between 4500 and 5300 m in elevation [4]. ...
The functional adaptation and underlying molecular mechanisms of hemoglobins (Hbs) have primarily concentrated on mammals and birds, with few reports on reptiles. This study aimed to investigate the convergent and species-specific high-altitude adaptation mechanisms of Hbs in two Eremias lizards from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The Hbs of high-altitude E. argus and E. multiocellata were characterized by significantly high overall and intrinsic Hb-O2 affinity compared to their low-altitude populations. Despite the similarly low Cl− sensitivities, the Hbs of high-altitude E. argus exhibited higher ATP sensitivity and ATP-dependent Bohr effects than that of E. multiocellata, which could facilitate O2 unloading in respiring tissues. Eremias lizards Hbs exhibited similarly low temperature sensitivities and relatively high Bohr effects at lower temperatures, which could help to stably deliver and release O2 to cold extremities at low temperatures. The oxygenation properties of Hbs in high-altitude populations might be attributed to varying ratios of β2/β1 globin and substitutions on the β2-type globin. Notably, the Asn12Ala in lowland E. argus could cause localized destabilization of the E-helix in the tetrameric Hb by elimination of hydrogen bonds, thereby resulting in its lowest O2 affinity. This study provides a valuable reference for the high-altitude adaptation mechanisms of hemoglobins in reptiles.
... The Liolaemidae family is a group of South American lizards with great diversity (340 species into 3 genera) (Uetz et al., 2023), inhabiting a wide variety of environments across its range in the southern half of the continent (Pincheira-Donoso et al., 2008a;Pincheira-Donoso et al., 2008b;Pincheira-Donoso et al., 2009;Abdala and Quinteros, 2014;Roll et al., 2017;Esquerréet al., 2019). Species of the family are distributed from sea level to extreme high elevations ranging from 5000 to 5400 m (Aparicio and Ocampo, 2010;Pincheira-Donoso et al., 2013;Cerdeña et al., 2021). This family has two reproductive modes (oviparous, viviparous), and three diet types (insectivore, omnivore, herbivore) (Pincheira-Donoso et al., 2008b;Pincheira-Donoso and Tregenza, 2011;Pincheira-Donoso et al., 2013;Pincheira-Donoso et al., 2017;Zimin et al., 2022). ...
The diversification of lineages is facilitated or constrained by the simultaneous evolution of multiple components of the phenotype that interact with each other during the course of speciation. When evolutionary radiations are adaptive, lineages proliferate via the emergence of multiple phenotypic optima that underlie diversification of species across multiple ecological niches. When radiations are non-adaptive, lineage proliferation unfolds constrained by similar (or nearly identical) correlations among traits that keep phenotypic and ecological diversity across newly emerging species within a single optimum. Nature offers very few opportunities where both types of diversification occur between closely related and highly diverse lineages. The Liolaemidae family of South American lizards offers unique such opportunities given two speciose lineages that have rapidly proliferated via adaptive (Liolaemus) and non-adaptive (Phymaturus) radiations. We analyze body shape in lizards in association with type of diet (herbivory, omnivory or carnivory). In these lizards, diet types have been suggested to be linked to body size. Our results confirm this hypothesis, with three body size optima tightly linked to all three diet types when radiation is both adaptive and non-adaptive. Diet reconstruction along their evolutionary history showed that the common ancestor of Liolaemidae was likely omnivorous, which is matched by ancestral reconstruction of body size. Phylogenetic PCA revealed that herbivorous species generally have more differentiated body shape than insectivores and omnivores. Herbivorous species have evolved larger heads, shorter hindlimbs and a small difference between forelimb and hindlimb length. In contrast, omnivores and insectivores have smaller heads and longer hindlimbs. Collectively, trophic niche plays an important role in defining body shape and size across species within lineages, and the patterns of trait-ecology correlations remain consistent when lineages have diversified via adaptive and non-adaptive radiation.
... This could be particularly true of ectotherms, such as Liolaemus lizards, which depend on environmental thermal energy to fuel metabolism. Liolaemus lizards have several adaptations to cope with extreme conditions, such as viviparity (Pincheira-Donoso et al. 2013;Esquerre et al. 2019a;Ibargüengoytía et al. 2021) and physiological plasticity (Naya and Božinović 2006;Rodríguez-Serrano et al. 2009;Bonino et al. 2015), making this group one of the most southerly distributed and high elevation ectothermic tetrapod lineages on the planet (Breitman et al. 2011;Cerdeña et al. 2021). Nevertheless, physiological constraints have likely prevented lineages permanently establishing at very high elevations. ...
Mountains are among the most biodiverse regions on the planet, and how these landforms shape diversification through the interaction of biological traits and geo-climatic dynamics is integral to understanding global biodiversity. In this study, we investigate the dual roles of climate change and mountain uplift on the evolution of a hyper-diverse radiation, Liolaemus lizards, with a spatially explicit model of diversification using a reconstruction of uplift and paleotemperature in central and southern South America. The diversification model captures a hotspot for Liolaemus around 40°S in lineages with low-dispersal ability and narrow niche breadths. Under the model, speciation rates are highest in low latitudes (<35°S) and mid elevations (~1,000 m), while extinction rates are highest at higher latitudes (>35°S) and higher elevations (>2,000 m). Temperature change through the Cenozoic explained variation in speciation and extinction rates through time and across different elevational bands. Our results point to the conditions of mid elevations being optimal for diversification (i.e., Goldilocks Zone), driven by the combination of (1) a complex topography that facilitates speciation during periods of climatic change, and (2) a relatively moderate climate that enables the persistence of ectothermic lineages and buffers species from extinction.
... Some lizards endure more than 4000 m, for instance, Phrynocephalus vlangalli occurs at 4500 m on the Tibetan Plateau and Liolaemus tacnae occurs at 5000 m in Peru (He et al., 2013;Cerdeña et al., 2021). Highaltitude lizards (species living above 2000 m) show elevated values of blood traits such as hemoglobin concentration or hematocrit (Vinegar and Hillyard, 1972;Bennett and Ruben, 1975;He et al., 2013;González-Morales et al., 2015;Megía-Palma et al., 2020). ...
Ecogeographical patterns describe predictable variation in phenotypic traits between ecological communities. For example, high-altitude animals are expected to show elevated hematological values as an adaptation to the lower oxygen pressure. Mountains act like ecological islands and therefore are considered natural laboratories. However, the majority of ecophysiological studies on blood traits lack replication that would allow us to infer if the pattern reported is a local event or whether it is a widespread pattern resulting from larger-scale ecological processes. In lizards, in fact, the increase of hematological values at high altitudes has received mixed support. Here, for the first time, we compare blood traits in lizards along elevational gradients with replication. We tested the repeatability of blood traits in mesquite lizards between different elevations in three different mountains from the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. We measured hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and erythrocyte size in blood samples of low, medium, and high-elevation lizards. We obtained similar elevational patterns between mountains, but the blood traits differed among mountains. Middle-altitude populations had greater oxygen-carrying capacity than lizards from low and high altitudes. The differences found between mountain systems could be the result of phenotypic plasticity or genetic differentiation as a consequence of abiotic factors not considered.
... It far exceeds the record for reptiles, recently established at 5,400 m on Volcán Chachani in southern Peru for the iguanine lizard Liolaemus aff. tacnae (Cerdeña et al. 2021). It also exceeds the previous record for vertebrates, a single observation of a pair of birds, alpine choughs (Pyrrhocorax graculus), nesting at 6,550 m below Mt. ...
Biologists have long pondered the extreme limits of life on Earth, including the maximum elevation at which species can live and reproduce. Here we review evidence of a self-sustaining population of mice at an elevation that exceeds that of all previously reported for mammals. Five expeditions over 10 years to Volcán Llullaillaco on the Argentina/Chile border observed and collected mice at elevations ranging from 5,070 m at the mountain’s base to the summit at 6,739 m (22,110 feet). Previously unreported evidence includes observations and photographs of live animals and mummified remains, environmental DNA, and a soil microbial community reflecting animal activity that are evaluated in combination with previously reported video recordings and capture of live mice. All of the evidence identifies the mouse as the leaf-eared mouse Phyllotis vaccarum, and it robustly places the population within a haplotype group containing individuals from the Chilean Atacama Desert and nearby regions of Argentina. A critical review of the literature affirms that this population is not only an elevational record for mammals but for all terrestrial vertebrates to date, and we further find that many extreme elevations previously reported for mammals are based on scant or dubious evidence.
... 1). These lizards have a broad latitudinal distribution, from central Peru to Tierra del Fuego island (Argentina and Chile), and can be found on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts from sea level to elevations of 5400 m above sea level (Cerdeña et al., 2021). Liolaemus lizard species occupy many different environments from extremely dry deserts (e.g., Atacama, Chile) to wet forests (e.g., Andean Patagonian, Argentina and Chile). ...
Animals obtain environmental information using different sensory modalities, and sensory organ size allows inferences concerning the importance of these modalities, which depend on numerous evolutionary or ecological factors. Here, we test whether sex, different evolutionary processes and climatic factors explain chemical and visual sensory organ size in South American Liolaemus lizards as a model. We obtained snout volume (vomeronasal organ proxy), eye surface area, and counted the number of secretory precloacal pores in males and females of 61 species. For evolutionary processes, we tested phylogenetic signal, and different evolutionary models; as well as compared evolutionary rate changes on these traits. We also explored different climatic factors associated with changes in these traits. Our results showed the majority of studied traits had low phylogenetic signal and fit a variety of models. Number of precloacal pores showed greater phylogenetic signal in both sexes and best fit a model of evolution with differential rate transitions model, and have a more complex evolution in females versus males. In males, snout volume correlated positively with precipitation, solar radiation and temperature; while male eye surface area was negatively associated with precipitation, solar radiation and wind speed. However, females appear to be more influenced by intrinsic evolutionary processes whereas males were more influenced by climatic factors. This is the first study exploring the evolution of female precloacal pores in squamates reptiles in general and provides evidence that sex and sensory modality type are strong predictive factors of sensory organ size.
... adspersa), and Phymaturus represented by 47 species (Abdala and Quinteros 2014; Lobo and Nenda 2015;González-Marín et al. 2016;Scolaro et al. 2016;Hibbard et al. 2019). The genus Liolaemus is distributed in South America, from central Peru to Patagonia in Argentina and Chile, inhabits various regions of Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay (Abdala and Quinteros 2014), and spans an altitudinal range from sea level to the peaks of the Andes (Aparicio and Ocampo 2010;Cerdeña et al. 2021). It has a very effective adaptive radiation and occupies a great variety of ecosystems, including environments with hostile climates, such as the High Andes ) and hyper-arid deserts . ...
The diversity of reptiles in the Andes of southwestern Peru is poorly documented. Despite the fact that studies on saurians have intensified in recent years, mainly in the genus Liolaemus, information gaps on the biodiversity of this area remain. Such is the case of the Reserva Paisajística Subcuenca del Cotahuasi (RPSCC), Department of Arequipa, where populations of an undescribed species of the genus Liolaemus have been discovered recently. These individuals have morphological and molecular characteristics that are not assignable to any of the known species. Here, we describe this new species of Liolaemus, which inhabits the dry Puna of the RPSCC above 4,500 m asl. The combination of morphological and molecular characters differentiates this new species from its closest congeners. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the new species is part of the L. montanus group and is grouped in a clade alongside L. qalaywa, recently described from a site 133 km northwest of the type locality of this new species.
... Mountains cover approximately 30% of the world's land surface [1]. These biodiversity hotspots [2] harbour virtually all life forms (including diversity of bacteria [3,4], insects [5,6], arachnids [7], gastropods [8,9], fish [10,11], amphibians [12,13], mammals [14,15], birds [16], and squamate reptiles [17,18]). Mountain ecological landscapes are characterised by altitudinal zonation [19], where organisms tend to be adapted to a relatively narrow range of environmental conditions including colder temperature regimes (mean and extremes), strong UV irradiance, and lower atmospheric pressure, thus reduced oxygen availability as altitude increases. ...
Ectothermic animals living at high elevation often face interacting challenges, including temperature extremes, intense radiation, and hypoxia. While high-elevation specialists have developed strategies to withstand these constraints, the factors preventing downslope migration are not always well understood. As mean temperatures continue to rise and climate patterns become more extreme, such translocation may be a viable conservation strategy for some populations or species, yet the effects of novel conditions, such as relative hyperoxia, have not been well characterised. Our study examines the effect of downslope translocation on ectothermic thermal physiology and performance in Pyrenean rock lizards (Iberolacerta bonnali) from high elevation (2254 m above sea level). Specifically, we tested whether models of organismal performance developed from low-elevation species facing oxygen restriction (e.g., hierarchical mechanisms of thermal limitation hypothesis) can be applied to the opposite scenario, when high-elevation organisms face hyperoxia. Lizards were split into two treatment groups: one group was maintained at a high elevation (2877 m ASL) and the other group was transplanted to low elevation (432 m ASL). In support of hyperoxia representing a constraint, we found that lizards transplanted to the novel oxygen environment of low elevation exhibited decreased thermal preferences and that the thermal performance curve for sprint speed shifted, resulting in lower performance at high body temperatures. While the effects of hypoxia on thermal physiology are well-explored, few studies have examined the effects of hyperoxia in an ecological context. Our study suggests that high-elevation specialists may be hindered in such novel oxygen environments and thus constrained in their capacity for downslope migration.
Viviparity evolved ~115 times across squamate reptiles, facilitating the colonization of cold habitats, where oviparous species are scarce or absent. Whether the ecological opportunity furnished by such colonization reconfigures phenotypic diversity and accelerates evolution is unclear. We investigated the association between viviparity and patterns and rates of body size evolution in female Liolaemus lizards, the most species-rich tetrapod genus from temperate regions. Here, we discover that viviparous species evolve ~20% larger optimal body sizes than their oviparous relatives, but exhibit similar rates of body size evolution. Through a causal modeling approach, we find that viviparity indirectly influences body size evolution through shifts in thermal environment. Accordingly, the colonization of cold habitats favors larger body sizes in viviparous species, reconfiguring body size diversity in Liolaemus. The catalyzing influence of viviparity on phenotypic evolution arises because it unlocks access to otherwise inaccessible sources of ecological opportunity, an outcome potentially repeated across the tree of life.
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49464-x
Recent perspectives on speciation genomics emphasize the pivotal role of hybridization in driving rapid radiations. The Liolaemus lizard genus displays impressive species richness with around 290 species widely distributed across southern South America. Sánchez et al. (2024) conducted a comprehensive study on the 5-million-year-old Liolaemus kingii group, which includes 14 species. The research provides new key insights to enhance our understanding of this rapid radiation, including its diversification in space and time and consequences of hybridization in its morphological evolution and taxonomy.
