Evolutionary history drives the geographical distribution of dorsal patterns in the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis)

Abstract Melanin-based dorsal pattern polymorphisms are common in reptiles and generally evolve under the interaction between opposite selective pressures, notably thermal advantage cold environments background matching to avoid predation. When those pressures change over space time, relative frequencies of morphs can vary across species range. However, no previous study has analysed spatial patterns variation a phylogenetic perspective addition adaptive responses natural selection. In this study, we focused on distributional three Podarcis muralis at wide-range scale assess how they associate with geography, climate, microhabitat, phylogeny sexual dimorphism. By using open access data from iNaturalist, assembled dataset 4096 georeferenced points information sex morph. Data were through Bayesian GLMs, four alternative models formulated depending specific factors affecting morphs’ frequency. The not randomly distributed Europe, but follow clear geographic patterns, altitude habitats, show sex-specific trends, correlate history species. comparing models, model always obtained best performance, overlap other occurred, thus explaining morphs. evolutionary processes, present environmental significantly affect local-scale microevolutionary adaptations, influencing current distribution phenotypes More generally, results point out importance considering processes when analysing polymorphisms.