20.500.12556/DiRROS-31440 Environmental determinants of interpopulation variation in chemical and visual signals in an insular lizard Understanding how communication systems evolve across heterogeneous environments requires examining multiple signalling modalities. In 2017 and 2018, we examined geographic variation in chemical signals of the insular lizard Gallotia galloti across 16 sites on Tenerife (Canary Islands). We analysed interpopulation variation in the lipophilic fraction of male femoral gland secretions in relation to vegetation cover (NDVI), local sex ratio, ectoparasite load and macroclimatic factors. In 2023, we also analysed visual signals of two lizard phenotypes that occur in contrasting habitats of Tenerife. We modelled the chromatic and achromatic conspicuousness of colour patches under both a conspecific (lacertid) and an avian predator visual system to examine habitat-dependent divergence in signal detectability. Chemical signal diversity decreased with increasing shrub vegetation cover, while males from sites with male-biased sex ratios exhibited greater individual chemical richness, consistent with heightened intrasexual competition. Populations in xeric habitats and with higher mite loads showed relatively higher proportions of α-tocopherol, whereas greener habitats were associated with higher proportions of steroids. In contrast, visual analyses revealed that lizards from densely vegetated habitats exhibited greater chromatic conspicuousness and larger chromatic volumes, particularly under the conspecific visual model. Achromatic contrast showed weaker habitat-dependent differentiation, consistent with the hypothesis that luminance divergence is constrained by predator-mediated selection due to the high luminance sensitivity of avian visual systems. Thus, in open habitats, persistent and chemically diverse secretions may enhance communication efficiency under increased exposure, whereas in vegetated environments chromatic visual signals appear to be amplified, potentially driven by sexual selection while constrained by predation risk. These findings suggest that environmental heterogeneity can promote complementary divergence across signalling modalities, highlighting the importance of integrating sensory ecology and social context to understand the evolution of animal communication. animal communication ecological gradients Gallotia galloti local adaptation sexual versus natural selection komunikacija med živalmi ekološki gradienti Gallotia galloti lokalna prilagoditev spolna selekcija v primerjavi z naravno selekcijo true false false Dryad Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Neznano 2026-07-31 15:15:06 2026-07-31 15:24:32 2026-08-01 03:50:47 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 Durham 2026 Durham Nasl. z. nasl. zaslona; Opis vira z dne 10. 7. 2026; Soavtorji: Prem Aguilar, Anamarija Žagar, Marcio R. Pie, Urban Dajčman, Santiago Merino, Miguel Angel Carretero, José Martín; 1 spletni vir 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-06-03 591.58:598.161 10.5061/dryad.vmcvdnd54 284337923 https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.vmcvdnd54 1 dc03c957-8ce1-11f1-a81a-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=48680 doi_10_5061_dryad_vmcvdnd54__v20260603.zip doi_10_5061_dryad_vmcvdnd54__v20260603.zip 1 343EFD9763273F24A6A7BD88BD0AD063 d442ed4f0253ea2bddd4801f92d5ee93f86f66c2a29732c36439fa49c931a288 e5fdabcd-8ce2-11f1-a81a-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=48681 metadata.json metadata.json 1 C6DE024B3D8594CD705E989F3D9B907E 7ee179c0a06c9619d730184f8078b105c2a4cdd69506dcd893bd5c88d6b8fca1 f8fd70a9-8ce2-11f1-a81a-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=48682 Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo 0 0 0