Ecomorphs of Anoles

Anoles have been residents of the island of Hispaniola for millions of years as proven by several being trapped in tree sap from 15-20 million years ago. Jonathan Losos, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard, Emma Sherratt, and other colleagues set out to discover how long these anoles species have been around. These species that reside on several different islands manage to share similar body type characteristics that were shaped by their niches.

The Island of Hispaniola is known for insects and creatures being fossilized in tree resin and this is where these researchers collected 38 anoles of known species except for one all atleast 15 million years old.

To begin they created micro CT scans of 20 of the most efficient anoles. The results of their observation of the specimens showed the body forms were extremely similar to ones found today. These findings help advance the idea that ecological communities can stay livable for long periods of time. Dr. Losos stated in his study “our study does show that the same set of types of species can remain very static for long periods of time.” (NY Times, Gorman)

I think this type of experiment should be conducted for many other types of species of creatures. It would be able to help us understand what types of ecosystems can stay in tact and may even help us keep endangered creatures alive in the future.