Correlated evolution of prey chemical discrimination with foraging, lingual morphology and vomeronasal chemoreceptor abundance in lizards

摘要: Comparative data from ten families of lizards suggest that correlated evolution has occurred between the ability to identify prey chemicals and several aspects lingual function morphology, abundance vomeronasal chemoreceptor cells, foraging behavior. Ability discriminate control substances was measured experimentally with other variables by Felsenstein's method. This increased evolutionary increases in degree protrusion during tongue-flicking, which may reflect tongue's reach substrates be sampled. It deepened forking greater elongation, important for scent-trailing sampling ability, respectively. Discriminatory also vomerolfactory chemoreceptors, presumably reflects some analytical capacities system. Prey chemical discrimination active foraging. Natural selection improved analysis active, but not ambush, foragers appears account observed relationships. In use vomerolfaction locate prey, natural favors abilities lingually sample environmental substrates, analyze samples chemicals, respond appropriately if or possible are detected. Such can relationships among device its movements, sense, discriminations, variations ecology.