Valentín Pérez-Mellado

University of Salamanca · Department of Animal Biology, Ecology, Parasitology, Pedology and Agricultural Chemistry

Aim: Squamate fitness is affected by body temperature, which in turn is influenced by environmental temperatures and, in many species, by exposure to solar radiation. The biophysical drivers of body temperature have been widely studied, but we lack an integrative synthesis of actual body temperatures experienced in the field, and their relationship...

Urbanization and anthropic influences can drastically modify a natural habitat and transform it into an easily recognizable “urban habitat”. Human activities can also induce less severe modifications of what apparently might still look like natural habitats. Therefore, these subtle alterations may be hidden but can still cause important negative ef...

During the last 24 years, the mutualistic interaction between the dead horse arum, Helicodiceros muscivorus, and the Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, was studied on Aire Island (Balearic Islands, Spain). From a small population of a hundred plants, the dead horse arum expanded extraordinarily throughout the island, reaching the highest known den...

Citation: Alemany, I.; Pérez-Cembranos, A.; Castro, J.A.; Picornell, A.; Pérez-Mellado, V.; Ramon, C. Diet of the Insular Lizard, Podarcis lilfordi (Günther, 1874): Complementary Morphological and Molecular Approaches. Animals 2023, 13, 507. https://doi.org/10.3390/

Dietary studies are essential to unravel the functioning of ecosystems and ultimately to understand biodiversity. This task, which at first may seem simple, becomes especially complex in those cases of omnivorous species with highly variable diets. In this regard, the emergence of next-generation DNA sequencing methodologies represents a powerful t...

Arid climates are characterized by a summer drought period to which animals seem adapted. However, in some years, the drought can extend for unusually longer periods. Examining the effects of these current extreme weather events on biodiversity can help to understand the effects of climate change, as models predict an increase in drought severity....

The Columbretes archipelago consists of a group of small volcanic islets located in the western Mediterranean near the east of the Iberian Peninsula. Four of its islands are inhabited by the wall lizard Podarcis liolepis, whose populations have been considered vulnerable. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of genetic diversity across...

Background In lacertid lizards from Mediterranean islands, frugivory is common, particularly under prey scarcity, a characteristic of small islands. In several populations, the diet of the Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, is extremely variable and includes fleshy fruits. However, frugivory is sporadic and there are very few examples of dominant...

Gut microbial communities provide essential functions to their hosts and are known to influence both their ecology and evolution. However, our knowledge of these complex associations is still very limited in reptiles. Here we report the 16S rRNA gene faecal microbiota profiles of two lizard species endemic to the Balearic archipelago ( Podarcis lil...

Recently isolated populations offer a good biological model to infer the evolutionary forces responsible for the current divergences across populations. We coupled genetic, morphometric, ecological, and demographic analyses from three island populations of the endemic Balearic Wall Lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, (Balearic archipelago, Spain) to infer t...

Genomic divergence was studied in 10 small insular populations of the endangered Balearic Islands lizard (Podarcis lilfordi) using double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing. The objectives were to establish levels of divergence among populations, investigate the impact of population size on genetic variability and to evaluate the rol...

The phylogenetic relationships among the wall lizards of the Podarcis hispanicus complex that inhabit the south‐east (SE) of the Iberian Peninsula and other lineages of the complex remain unclear. In this study, four mitochondrial and two nuclear markers were used to study genetic relationships within this complex. The phylogenetic analyses based o...

Foraging diurnal lizards are well known for their use of visual and chemical cues to detect prey. We already showed that the Balearic lizard is able to detect prey using visual and chemical cues, even from airborne odors. In this study we carried out a field experiment to test if lizards can detect prey using acoustic cues. Our results show that Po...

Aims To characterize the genetic and morphological diversification of the endangered Balearic lizard Podarcis lilfordi and to assess the relevance of this diversity, and how it is described, to conservation measures. Location This study covers all the populations of the Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi , present in its range of distribution at c...

Most lizards maintain quite constant body temperatures by behavioural means. Seasonal variations of environmental factors, such as temperature, sunlight exposure and wind intensity, influence lizard thermoregulatory abilities. Understanding how seasonal environmental shifts influence lizards' thermoregulation helps us to know how they deal behaviou...

The ability to early detect a potential predator is essential for survival. The potential of Iberolacerta cyreni lizards to discriminate between chemical cues of their two predatory snakes Coronella austriaca (a non-venomous active-hunter saurophagous specialist) and Vipera latastei (a venomous sit-and-wait generalist) was evaluated herein. A third...

Deceptive flowers from several plant species emit odors that mimic oviposition cues and attract female insects seeking for a laying site. Helicodiceros muscivorus is a species that emits an odor mimicking the foul smell of rotting meat and thereby attracts blowflies that usually oviposit on carcasses but are deceived into pollinating the plant. Thu...

Under natural conditions sea turtle eggs are subjected to a changing thermal environment, but little is known about the effect of these temperature fluctuations during incubation on the performance and phenotype of hatchlings. The aim of this study was to determine how incubation temperature pattern (increasing or stable) and incubation temperature...

Background Podarcis tiliguerta is a wall lizard endemic to the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia. Previous findings of high mtDNA and morphological diversity have led to the suggestion that it may represent a species complex. Here, we analysed mitochondrial and nuclear markers (mtDNA, 3110 bp; 6 nDNA loci, 3961 bp) in P. tiliguerta samp...

Selection of thermally suitable microhabitats plays an important role in the thermoregulation of ectotherms. We studied microhabitat preferences in two populations of the Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, that live on two coastal islets of Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain: Aire and Colom). To assess the roles of different microclimatic traits dri...

Amphibian populations are declining worldwide but for many taxa, robust estimates of demographic parameters to assess population state or trend are scarce or absent. We provide robust estimates of adult apparent survival of the endemic Mallorcan midwife toad Alytes muletensis using individual capture-recapture data collected over 4 yr in a 60m2 cis...

We studied the thermal ecology of the montane Iberian rock lizard, Iberolacerta monticola, in the western area of its distribution at the Serra da Estrela (Portugal). We calculated the precision of thermoregulation and the indices of thermal quality of the habitat, and accuracy and effectiveness of thermoregulation. To complete the study of the the...

The Ibizan wall lizard, Podarcis pityusensis, was the subject of several documented translocations by the German vertebrate zoologist Martin Eisentraut, in 1930. He aimed to initiate long-term experiments into the evolution of melanism and other morphological traits and accordingly he designed introductions into five islets that (he believed) conta...

Several species of vertebrates exhibit spontaneous longitudinal body axis alignment relative to the Earth’s magnetic field (i.e., magnetic alignment) while they are performing different behavioural tasks. Since magnetoreception is still not fully understood, studying magnetic alignment provides evidence for magnetoreception and broadens current kno...

Antipredatory defenses are maintained when benefit exceeds cost. A weak predation pressure may lead insular lizards to tameness. Podarcis lilfordi exhibits a high degree of insular tameness, which may explain its extinction from the main island of Menorca when humans introduced predators. There are three species of lizards in Menorca: the native P....

Raw data of all the variables (see manuscript) for the five studied populations of lizards The number of the lizard identify each individual within each population.

We studied the thermal ecology of an introduced population of the Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, in Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). We measured field body temperatures of adult lizards, as well as air and substrate temperatures at their capture places, during spring and summer. We assessed the relations between body and air temperatures,...

The Sahara frog is the most common amphibian found in North Africa. However, the knowledge of its natural history is rather fragmentary. In the present work we studied the trophic ecology of Pelophylax saharicus at some areas of Morocco through the analysis of 130 gastric contents. We did not find any significant sexual dimorphism in body size of a...

We studied the thermal ecology of Testudo hermanni hermanni in Menorca during late spring. We measured body temperatures of adult individuals, together with air and substrate temperatures at points of capture. Sunlight exposure (full sun, filtered sun, or shade) and type of substrate were also recorded. Body temperatures were similar between sexes...

Alien predators may impose a great threat to naïve prey. Ibiza wall lizards (Podarcis pityusensis) live in Ibiza, a snake-free island until 2003. We studied the lizards’ discrimination of scents of two invader snakes: one that depredates lizards, the horseshoe whip snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis), and another that does not, the ladder snake (Rhinech...

The Menorca Biosphere Reserve is a figure created by the UNESCO to conciliate and promote the development of the island's natural environment, aiming to apply the concept of sustainable development. Menorca was declared as a Biosphere Reserve in 1993, and it is located in the centre of the occidental Mediterranean Sea. UNESCO's directives establish...

Antipredatory defenses are maintained when benefit exceeds cost. A weak predation pressure may lead insular lizards to tameness. Podarcis lilfordi exhibits a high degree of insular tameness, which may explain its extinction from the main island of Menorca when humans introduced predators. There are three species of lizards in Menorca: the native P....

We studied the thermal ecology of the montane Iberian rock lizard, Iberolacerta monticola, in the western area of its distribution at the Serra da Estrela (Portugal). We calculated the precision of thermoregulation and the indices of thermal quality of the habitat, and accuracy and effectiveness of thermoregulation. To complete the study of the the...

Thermal biology of lizards affects their overall physiological performance. Thus, it is crucial to study how abiotic constraints influence thermoregulation. We studied the effect of wind speed on thermoregulation in an endangered mountain lizard (Iberolacerta aurelioi). We compared two populations of lizards: one living in a sheltered rocky area an...

The study of the heterogeneity of effect sizes is a key aspect of ecological meta-analyses. Here we propose a meta-analytic methodology to study the influence of moderators in effect sizes by splitting heterogeneity: meta-partition. To introduce this methodology, we performed a meta-partition of published data about the traits that influence specie...

It comprises the detailed trees of the meta-partition, with comments about the intensity and direction of the effect of each moderator, and a table with all statistics obtained for each partition (QH, I2, and the integrated effect size), as well as the species that are included in each subset.

Extended results of the meta-partition about the sensitivity of vertebrates to wetland habitat loss. It comprises the detailed trees of the meta-partition, with comments about the intensity and direction of the effect of each moderator, and a table with all statistics obtained for each partition (QH, I2, and the integrated effect size), as well as...

Alpine lizards living in restricted areas might be particularly sensitive to climate change. We studied thermal biology of Iberolacerta cyreni in high mountains of central Spain. Our results suggest that I. cyreni is a cold-adapted thermal specialist and an effective thermoregulator. Among ectotherms, thermal specialists are more threatened by glob...

Figure S1. Study area in the western part of the mountain chain Sierra de Gredos (Spain).

Figure S2. Operative temperatures of different thermal microhabitats are provided for each hour of the day (GMT) for the sample of 2012. Dotted lines provide the preferred temperature range of Iberolacerta cyreni (31.18–32.5°C).

Mountain lizards are highly vulnerable to climate change, and the continuous warming of their habitats could be seriously threatening their survival. We aim to compare the thermal ecology and microhabitat selection of a mountain lizard, Iberolacerta galani, and a widely distributed lizard, Podarcis bocagei, in a montane area. Both species are curre...

Operative temperatures Dataset of the operative temperatures, measured with copper models, that provides the habitat of Natural Monument of “La Baña” (León, Spain) for Iberolacerta galani and Podarcis bocagei lizards during summer.

Selected temperatures Dataset of the selected temperatures of Iberolacerta galani and Podarcis bocagei in summer.

Indexes of thermoregulation Dataset of the output of the bootstrapped values of the three indexes of thermoregulation (thermal quality of the habitat, accuracy of thermoregulation, and effectiveness of thermoregulation) for Iberolacerta galani and Podarcis bocagei.

Microhabitat selection Dataset with the frequency of use of each type of microhabitat by Iberolacerta galani and Podarcis bocagei, as well as the frequency of each type of microhabitat for the random points that represent it availability in the habitat.

Field body temperatures Dataset with the field body temperatures of Iberolacerta galani and Podarcis bocagei during summer in the Natural Monument “Lago de la Baña” (León, Spain).

We conducted an experiment on chemical discrimination of two saurophagous snakes (the smooth snake, Coronella austriaca and the Seoane's viper, Vipera seoanei) as well as the aquatic Natrix maura, by the mountain lizard Iberolacerta galani. Using terraria, 24 lizards were exposed to scents by the three snakes as well as an odourless control. We qua...

All aspects of the biology of ectotherms are influenced by their body temperatures, which, in turn, strongly depend on the thermal characteristics of the habitat. High mountain habitats impose severe constraints, as the short length of the daily and annual activity periods, and the low environmental temperatures. We studied the thermal biology of f...

Description of the diet of Podarcis lilfordi in Aire island (Menorca, Balearic Islands) through 17 years, with analysis of the variation among seasons, years and areas of the island.

Through 17 years and from a sample of 7,790 faecal pellets and 26,346 prey items, we studied the diet of the Balearic lizard Podarcis lilfordi in Aire Island (Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain). We analysed the diet in terms of prey frequencies, as well as by their volume and biomass contributions. The diet of the Balearic lizard was extremely varia...

Thermal biology of lizards affects their overall physiological performance. Thus, it is crucial to study how abiotic constraints influence thermoregulation. We studied the influence of wind speed on thermoregulation in an endangered mountain lizard of the Pyrenees (Iberolacerta aurelioi). Therefore, we compared two populations of lizards: one livin...

Temporal changes in adult sex ratio of animal populations might be due to differences in movements, survival or detection probabilities. We used data from an intensive capture–mark–recapture study of 720 lizards at the islet of Aire (Balearic Islands, Spain) to investigate the demographic mechanisms underlying the spring uneven sex ratio. We simult...

During the blooming period of the thistle Carlina corymbosa L. (Asteraceae) on Aire Island (Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain), the Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, climbs the plant and forages on its inflorescences. We studied this foraging behaviour by means of observation. We collected data on fourteen variables belonging to three groups: move...

Many wild populations of lizards in the Mediterranean Basin inhabit small islands frequently visited by humans. Reptiles respond to humans as potential predators by escaping to refuges or by increasing antipredator behaviours which lead to a loss of body condition and may have important consequences for fitness. We assessed effects of human pressur...

The two-fingered skink, Chalcides mauritanicus, is a fossorial species from North Africa, where it has only been found at a few localities in sandy sea shores. Virtually nothing is known about its ecology. For the first time, we report the occurrence of an apparently large and well-preserved population of C. mauritanicus at the Chafarinas Islands (...

Even in solitary foragers, conspecifics can provide reliable information about food location. The insular lizard Podarcis lilfordi is a solitary species with high population densities that sometimes aggregate around rich food patches. Its diet includes novel and unpredictable resources, such as carcasses or plants, whose exploitation quickly became...

In animals, developmental stability is frequently assessed by the level of fluctuating asymmetry. Several environmental and genetic stress factors can increase the developmental instability in a population. Anyhow, the use of fluctuating asymmetry as a measurement of developmental instability and its relationship to other measurements of genetic an...

Economic escape models predict escape decisions of prey which are approached by predators. Flight initiation distance (FID, predator–prey distance when prey begins to flee) and distance fled (DF) are major variables used to characterize escape responses. In optimal escape theory, FID increases as cost of not fleeing also increases. Moreover, FID de...

Lizards and gulls cohabit in several Mediterranean islands. The yellow-legged gull, Larus michahellis, was found to prey several vertebrate species. However, precise information about the interaction between gulls and other vertebrates, particularly with lizards is still scarce. The Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, shares several coastal islets...

Clutch size of genus Alytes presents strong inter- and intra-specific variability. The Mallorcan midwife toad (A. muletensis) is a threatened endemism of the island of Mallorca (Spain), and has the smallest clutch size of the genus. Most of the previously published clutch size information was obtained from animals breeding in captivity. In this stu...

Foraging modes were described originally for insectivorous lizards, but many species are omnivorous or herbivorous. Because seeking and consuming plants might alter foraging, we studied foraging by the omnivorous Podarcis lilfordi at two sites: one where lizards licked nectar from flowers of Euphorbia paralias and the other where they sought insect...

A better understanding of the demography of endangered amphibians is importantfor the development of suitable management and recovery plans, and for building population viability models. Our work presents, for the first time, growth curves and measurements of meanlongevity, growth rates and age at maturity for the Vulnerable midwife toad Alytes mul...

Parasites are able to negatively affect the locomotor performance of their hosts, and consequently, their biological fitness. In this study, we examine the relationship between parasitism and burst speed in an insular population of Lilford’s Wall Lizard (Podarcis lilfordi (Günther, 1874)). Podarcis lilfordi is normally infected with haemogregarine...

During spring and summer, we studied the thermal ecology of two populations of the Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, from two coastal islets of Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain): Aire and Colom. We calculated the accuracy of thermoregulation, that is, the extent to which body temperatures are close to species' thermal optima, the thermal quality...

Morphological adaptations of amphisbaenians for a fossorial life constrain their ecological demands in a greater way than for epigeal reptiles. Studies on the diet of amphisbaenians suggest that most species are generalists, although others seem more selective. However, there is no information on the diet preferences of almost any species because m...

The association between polymorphism at the mc1r locus and colour variation was studied in two wall lizard species (Podarcis lilfordi and P. pityusensis) from the Balearic archipelago. Podarcis lilfordi comprises several deep mitochondrial lineages, the oldest of which originated in the Pliocene, while much shallower mitochondrial lineages are foun...