Category: Physiology

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Unveiling the Secrets of Lizard Color Divergence

By: Priscilla Younes, Neyana Fortes, and Jordan Marot (Stonehill College, BIO323: Evolution, Spring 2023)

Overview

In the contrasting environments of the alpine meadows and sand dunes of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, two lizard populations have a secret weapon: the ability to use their body color for camouflage and thermoregulation, a local adaptation that helps them survive. Not only have these lizards adapted their colors to hide from predators, but they’ve also regulated their internal temperature using melanin-producing genes. In “Genetically Encoded Lizard Color Divergence for Camouflage and Thermoregulation,” Sun and his team show how the power of local adaptation allows separate populations of toadhead agamas (Phrynocephalus putjatai) to thrive in two distinct habitats. Their study highlights the importance of local adaptation, where species develop traits suited to their specific environments, and how it can lead to the divergence of species to create a new one. With combined data from field observations, genetic analyses, and other experiments, we aim to explain why the lizards developed different colors and how this enhances their survival. Tune into the Evolution Unraveled podcast for a deeper dive into this concept!

Short podcast summarizing paper. Photo from https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/109362-Phrynocephalus-putjatai/browse_photos
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Tadpole Adaptations to Increasing Temperatures in Urban Environments

By: Mallory Crispens, Sarah Faley, and Lilly Leach (Stonehill College, Bio323: Evolution Spring 2024)

Overview

One of the most beneficial characteristics for survival in the natural world is the ability to adapt to changing environments. In the face of climate change and increasing urbanization of rural areas, it has become even more important for wildlife to be able to adapt and endure increasing temperatures. Urban heat islands are a significant consequence of urbanization, occurring when cities replace natural land cover with dense concentrations of pavement, buildings, and other surfaces that absorb and retain heat. These heat islands create a brand-new environment for wildlife, particularly for pond-dwelling animals such as tadpoles whose aquatic environment is sensitive to change. While most organisms living in urban environments have elevated tolerance to heat, the thermal adaptations of aquatic organisms are relatively unknown. In the article, “Tadpoles Develop Elevated Heat Tolerances in Urban Heat Islands Regardless of Sex”, Dr. Bokony analyzes tolerance to increasing temperature, as a result of urbanization, in tadpoles.

A short podcast summarizing the article. Soundtrack image from https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/2017/tadpole.jpg
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How to break a sweat

By: Adam Ziegler, Matthew Papp, Shivam Gandhi, Nikolas Steege, Bio323 Evolution, Fall 2019, Stonehill College

Let’s face it, we all sweat. Despite sweat being such a common and prominent aspect of everyday life, not many people understand what causes sweating, or why not all mammals sweat. A recent paper explored the difference in human sweat compared to other primates from compiled data sets across three phylogenetic models. The research focused on the two glands that are primarily involved in sweating, the apocrine and eccrine glands. By combining glycogen concentration, climate, and distribution of glands, the authors were able to predict the eccrine gland ancestral relationship. The results show exactly how humans have come to evolve the current gland distribution and offer a previously unstudied insight into our ancestors. 

Demonstration of Sweat. Image credit:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspiration#/media/File:Demonstration_of_Sweat.jpg by Dogbertio 14 is licensed under CC BY 3.0
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The Evolution of PMS

The Evolution of PMS

by: Lydia Blodgett, Alexandra Calafiore, Rachel O’Donnell (Stonehill College Evolution Fall 2017)

Premenstrual syndrome, commonly known as PMS, affects the majority of women and can cause an array of unwanted symptoms. Although up to 80% of women are affected by the symptoms of PMS, not much is known about exactly why it began and continues to happen in humans. Our podcast, “Evolution of PMS”, attempts to highlight the evolutionary basis of PMS. Using Michael Gillings’ article, “Were there evolutionary advantages to premenstrual syndrome?”, as a foundation, we explore the idea that the persistence of PMS is an outcome of its selective advantage to women. Although PMS has previously been considered maladaptive—with severe forms being classified as a diagnosable mental disorder—-Gillings proposes three main hypotheses that there are reproductive advantages for its persistence throughout evolutionary history.

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