Footprints in the sand: independent reduction of subdigital lamellae in the Namib–Kalahari burrowing geckos

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dc.contributor.authorLamb, Tripen_US
dc.contributor.authorBauer, Aaron M.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-12-17T20:04:11Zen_US
dc.date.accessioned2011-05-17T14:35:06Z
dc.date.available2010-12-17T20:04:11Zen_US
dc.date.available2011-05-17T14:35:06Z
dc.date.issued2006-04-07en_US
dc.description.abstractMany desert organisms exhibit convergence, and certain physical factors such as windblown sands have generated remarkably similar ecomorphs across divergent lineages. The burrowing geckos Colopus, Chondrodactylus and Palmatogecko occupy dune ecosystems in the Namib and Kalahari deserts of southwest Africa. Considered closely related, they share several putative synapomorphies, including reduced subdigital pads (toe pads) and spinose digital scales. Though recognized as part of Africa's ecologically diverse Pachydactylus Group, the burrowing geckos' precise phylogenetic affinities remain elusive. Convergent pedal modification provides a tenable alternative explaining the geckos' derived terrestriality and adaptation to Namib and Kalahari sands. We generated a molecular phylogeny for the Pachydactylus Group to examine evolutionary relationships among the burrowing geckos and infer historical patterns of pedal character change. Bayesian and parsimony analyses revealed all three burrowing genera to be deeply nested within Pachydactylus, each genus belonging to a separate clade. Strong support for these distinct clades indicates ecomorphological adaptations for burrowing have evolved independently three times in the southern Pachydactylus Group. We argue that the physical properties of Namib and Kalahari sands played a principal role in selecting for pedal similarity. Originally published in Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences Vol. 273, No. 1588 2006.en_US
dc.identifier.citationProceeding of the Royal Society Biological Sciences; 273:1588 p. 855-864en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1098/rspb.2005.3390
dc.identifier.pmidPMC1560219en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10342/3032en_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherEast Carolina Universityen_US
dc.relation.urihttp://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/273/1588/855en_US
dc.subjectConvergenceen_US
dc.subjectEcomorphologyen_US
dc.subjectGekkonidaeen_US
dc.subjectPhylogeneticsen_US
dc.subjectNamiben_US
dc.subjectKalaharien_US
dc.titleFootprints in the sand: independent reduction of subdigital lamellae in the Namib–Kalahari burrowing geckosen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
ecu.journal.issue1588
ecu.journal.nameProceeding of the Royal Society Biological Sciences
ecu.journal.pages855-864
ecu.journal.volume273

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