Browsing by Author "Winchell, Kristin M."

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    Geometric Morphometrics Reveal Shape Differences in the Toes of Urban Lizards
    Howell, Bailey K.; Winchell, Kristin M.; Hagey, Travis J. (Oxford University Press, 2022-08-19)
    Synopsis Urbanization, despite its destructive effects on natural habitats, offers species an opportunity to colonize novel niches. Previous research found that urban Anolis lizards in Puerto Rico had increased adhesive toepad area and more ventral toepad scales, traits that are likely adaptive and genetically based. We further investigated these phenotypic changes using geometric morphometrics to measure differences in toe shape, toepad shape, and lamellar morphology. Our results indicate that the increased toepad area of urban Anolis cristatellus lizards in Puerto Rico is not simply an isometric increase in toe size. Toes of urban populations exhibit multiple disproportional changes compared to forest lizards, with a larger proportion of the toe length covered in adhesive toepad. In addition, the toepads of urban lizards increase more in length than width. Lastly, lizards in urban populations exhibit both increased number of lamellae as well as increased spacing between individual lamellae. We also observed regional variation, with urban specimens having significantly more disparity, suggesting similar processes of urban adaptation are likely happening in parallel across the island, yet with region-specific idiosyncrasies, possibly generating more variation in toepad morphology across urban specimens as compared to forest specimens. Considering the use of geometric morphometrics, we found that specimen preparation, specifically how flat and straight toes are during imaging, to be an important factor affecting our data, more so than specimen size or any other meaningful morphological variation. In addition, we found that landmark and semilandmark data can be used to directly estimate toepad area, offering the opportunity to streamline future studies. In conclusion, our results highlight the value of considering toepad morphology in more detail beyond adhesive pad area or number of lamellae. Geometric morphometrics tools may be employed to elucidate subtle differences in shape to better allow researchers to connect changes in morphology to ecology and adhesive performance.
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    Moving past the challenges and misconceptions in urban adaptation research
    Winchell, Kristin M.; Aviles-Rodriguez, Kevin J.; Carlen, Elizabeth J.; Miles, Lindsay S.; Charmantier, Anne; De Leon, Luis F.; Gotanda, Kiyoko M.; Rivkin, L. Ruth; Szulkin, Marta; Verrelli, Brian C. (Wiley, 2022-11-21)
    Although the field of urban evolutionary ecology has recently expanded, much progress has been made in identifying adaptations that arise as a result of selective pressures within these unique environments. However, as studies within urban environments have rapidly increased, researchers have recognized that there are challenges and opportunities in characterizing urban adaptation. Some of these challenges are a consequence of increased direct and indirect human influence, which compounds long-recognized issues with research on adaptive evolution more generally. In this perspective, we discuss several common research challenges to urban adaptation related to (1) methodological approaches, (2) trait–environment relationships and the natural history of organisms, (3) agents and targets of selection, and (4) habitat heterogeneity. Ignoring these challenges may lead to misconceptions and further impede our ability to draw conclusions regarding evolutionary and ecological processes in urban environments. Our goal is to first shed light on the conceptual challenges of conducting urban adaptation research to help avoid the propagation of these misconceptions. We further summarize potential strategies to move forward productively to construct a more comprehensive picture of urban adaptation, and discuss how urban environments also offer unique opportunities and applications for adaptation research.
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    Online toolkits for collaborative and inclusive global research in urban evolutionary ecology
    Savage, Amy M.; Willmott, Meredith J.; Moreno-Garcia, Pablo; Jagiello, Zuzanna; Li, Daijiang; Malesis, Anna; Miles, Lindsay S.; Roman-Palacios, Cristian; Salazar-Valenzuela, David; Verrelli, Brian C.; Winchell, Kristin M.; Alberti, Marina; Bonilla-Bedoya, Santiago; Carlen, Elizabeth; Falvey, Cleo; Johnson, Lauren; Martin, Ella; Kuzyo, Hanna; Marzluff, John; Munshi-South, Jason; Phifer-Rixey, Megan; Stadnicki, Ignacy; Szulkin, Marta; Zhou, Yuyu; Gotanda, Kiyoko M. (Wiley, 2024-06-25)
    Urban evolutionary ecology is inherently interdisciplinary. Moreover, it is a field with global significance. However, bringing researchers and resources together across fields and countries is challenging. Therefore, an online collaborative research hub, where common methods and best practices are shared among scientists from diverse geographic, ethnic, and career backgrounds would make research focused on urban evolutionary ecology more inclusive. Here, we describe a freely available online research hub for toolkits that facilitate global research in urban evolutionary ecology. We provide rationales and descriptions of toolkits for: (1) decolonizing urban evolutionary ecology; (2) identifying and fostering international collaborative partnerships; (3) common methods and freely-available datasets for trait mapping across cities; (4) common methods and freely-available datasets for cross-city evolutionary ecology experiments; and (5) best practices and freely available resources for public outreach and communication of research findings in urban evolutionary ecology. We outline how the toolkits can be accessed, archived, and modified over time in order to sustain long-term global research that will advance our understanding of urban evolutionary ecology.