We analyzed the effect of cadmium on corticotropic (ACTH) and prolactin (PRL) cells in the pituitary gland of the Podarcis sicula lizard under chronic exposure to this metal. Adult lizards were given CdCl2 in drinking water at the dose of 10 μg/10 g body mass for 120 days. Light microscopy was performed after histological and immunohistochemical staining, and the effects were followed at reg...

Many descriptions of evolutionary adaptations are criticized as “just-so stories” (1) that are based more on intuition than on direct tests of adaptive hypotheses. The elaborate crowns of horns possessed by many species of horned lizards (genus Phrynosoma) are classic examples of intuitively adaptive features that lack direct tests of function. The bony horns that give horned lizards their name...

Abstract Invasive species often have catastrophic direct effects on native through increased competition and predation. Less well understood are indirect, cascading across trophic levels. To reveal disruptions caused by invasive species, it is necessary to document interactions between at different levels guilds. Here, we take this approach quantify the impact of invasion cane toads a riparian ...

Understanding space use remains a major challenge for animal ecology, with implications for species interactions, disease spread, and conservation. Behavioural type (BT) may shape the space use of individuals within animal populations. Bolder or more aggressive individuals tend to be more exploratory and disperse further. Yet, to date we have limited knowledge on how space use other than disper...

Transposable elements (TEs) are DNA sequences that can insert elsewhere in the genome and modify genome structure and gene regulation. The role of TEs in evolution is contentious. One hypothesis posits that TE activity generates genomic incompatibilities that can cause reproductive isolation between incipient species. This predicts that TEs will accumulate during speciation events. Here, I test...

Ranaviral disease in amphibians has been studied intensely during the last decade, as associated mass-mortality events are considered to be a global threat to wild animal populations. Several studies have also included other susceptible ectothermic vertebrates (fish and reptiles), but only very few cases of ranavirus infections in lizards have been previously detected. In this study, we focused...

The energetic resources in an organism's environment are essential for executing a wide range of life-history functions, including immunity and reproduction. Most energetic budgets, however, are limited, which can lead to trade-offs among competing functions. Increasing reproductive effort tends to decrease immunity in many cases, and increasing total energy via supplemental feedings can elimin...

Natural selection is an important driver of microevolution. Yet, despite significant theoretical debate, we still have a poor understanding of how selection operates on interacting traits (i.e., morphology, performance, habitat use). Locomotor performance is often assumed to impact survival because of its key role in foraging, predator escape, and social interactions, and shows strong links wit...

Male and female Chalcides ocellatus were gonadectomized and cold acclimated at 15 degrees for 1 week. Lizards were injected with testosterone and estradiol, and their oxygen consumption was determined at 15 degrees. Testosterone and estradiol caused a significant increase in the whole body rate of oxygen consumption in male and female lizards, respectively.

Citation: Friesen CR, Wilson MR, Rollings N, Sudyka J, Whittington CM, Giraudeau M and Olsson M (2017) Conditional Handicaps in Exuberant Lizards: Bright Color in Aggressive Males Is Correlated with High Levels of Free Radicals. Front. Ecol. Evol. 5:1. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00001 Conditional Handicaps in Exuberant Lizards: Bright Color in Aggressive Males Is Correlated with High Levels of Free...