空间使用包括人口中的地域性和空间布局可以揭示有关自然的重要信息,动力学,以及颜色多态物种替代策略的进化维持。尽管颜色多态物种作为进化生物学中的模型系统很普遍,很少研究空间利用与种群内变体的遗传结构之间的相互作用。这里,我们评估了黄褐色龙蜥蜴种群中雄性喉咙颜色形态的空间和遗传结构,克特诺普鲁斯河。男性颜色形态在形态上没有差异,但在攻击性和反捕食者行为以及雄激素水平上有所不同。尽管有这些行为和内分泌差异,我们发现颜色形态在地域大小上没有差异,它们的空间排列基本上是随机的。变体之间的遗传多样性或相关性没有差异;然而,有意义,虽然虚弱,变形之间的遗传分化,这与个体之间的地理距离无关。我们的结果表明某些变体之间的基因流动潜在的弱障碍,可能是由于非随机的交配前或交配后的配偶选择或合子后的遗传不相容性。然而,空间使用,空间结构,并且非随机交配似乎不是该系统中维持颜色多态性的主要机制,强调与颜色多态性相关的替代策略的复杂性和变化。
Space use including territoriality and spatial arrangement within a population can reveal important information on the nature, dynamics, and evolutionary maintenance of alternative strategies in color polymorphic species. Despite the prevalence of color polymorphic species as model systems in evolutionary biology, the interaction between space use and genetic structuring of morphs within populations has rarely been examined. Here, we assess the spatial and genetic structure of male throat color morphs within a population of the tawny dragon lizard, Ctenophorus decresii. Male color morphs do not differ in morphology but differ in aggressive and antipredator behaviors as well as androgen levels. Despite these behavioral and endocrine differences, we find that color morphs do not differ in territory size, with their spatial arrangement being essentially random with respect to each other. There were no differences in genetic diversity or relatedness between morphs; however, there was significant, albeit weak, genetic differentiation between morphs, which was unrelated to geographic distance between individuals. Our results indicate potential weak barriers to gene flow between some morphs, potentially due to nonrandom pre- or postcopulatory mate choice or postzygotic genetic incompatibilities. However, space use, spatial structure, and nonrandom mating do not appear to be primary mechanisms maintaining color polymorphism in this system, highlighting the complexity and variation in alternative strategies associated with color polymorphism.