Evolution of a Model System: New Insights from the Study of Anolis Lizards

Following decades of intensive study, Anolis lizards have emerged as a biological model system.We review how new research on anoles has advanced our understanding of ecology and evolution, challenging long-standing paradigms and opening new areas of inquiry. Recent anole research reveals how changes in behavior can restructure ecological communities and can both stimulate and stymie evolution, sometimes simultaneously. Likewise, investigation of anoles as spatial or phylogenetic evolutionary experiments has documented evolutionary repeatability across spatiotemporal scales, while also illuminating its limits. Current research places anoles as a promising model for Anthropocene biology, with recent work illustrating how species respond as humans reconfigure natural habitats, alter the climate, and create novel environments and communities through urbanization and species introduction. Combined with ongoing methodological developments in genomics, phylogenetics, and ecology, the growing foundational knowledge of Anolis positions them as a powerful model system in ecology and evolution for years to come.

Automated summary

After decades of research, Anolis lizards have become an important biological model system, providing insights into ecology and evolution. Recent studies have shown how changes in behavior can reshape ecological communities and drive evolution. Anolis lizards are also useful for studying the impact of human activities on species and environments. With ongoing advancements in genomics, phylogenetics, and ecology, Anolis lizards are poised to continue being a powerful model system for studying ecology and evolution.