Scale‐dependent effects of host patch traits on species composition in a stickleback parasite metacommunity

A core goal of ecology is to understand the abiotic and biotic variables that regulate species distributions and community composition. A major obstacle is that the rules governing species distributions can change with spatial scale. Here, we illustrate this point using data from a spatially nested metacommunity of parasites infecting a metapopulation of threespine stickleback fish from 34 lakes on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Like most parasite metacommunities, the composition of stickleback parasites differs among host individuals within each host population, and differs between host populations. The distribution of each parasite taxon depends, to varying degrees, on individual host traits (e.g., mass, diet) and on host‐population characteristics (e.g., lake size, mean host mass, mean diet). However, in most cases in this data set, a given parasite was regulated by different factors at the host‐individual and host‐population scales, leading to scale‐dependent patterns of parasite‐species co‐occurrence

Data from: Hidden in plain sight: how ventral line markings in chameleons may enhance camouflage

Chameleons, lizards often synonymous with camouflage for their color-changing abilities, possess a variety of permanent coloration patterns whose evolutionary significance remains largely unknown. In this study, we explore the potential for white ventral line markings in species across the genus Chamaeleonidae to function as a camouflage pattern against diurnal predators. Diurnal behavioral field studies of the white-lined chameleon, Furcifer viridis showed that individuals typically exposed ventral line markings during the characteristic ring-flip anti-predator behavior, in response to a predatory threat. These ventral line markings are largely inconspicuous in other postures. Comparative morphological analyses of 86 species found that there was a significant positive correlation between ventral line markings with arboreal habitat type, even when accounting for phylogeny. These results suggest that ventral line markings (and the ring-flip behavior) could act as a disruptive or mimetic coloration marking for arboreal chameleons against visual diurnal predators. Further work testing differential predation rates is necessary in order to verify the proposed function of these line markings

Behavioral Field Study

Responses to a "predatory threat" by 57 Furcifer viridis and 4 Calumma gastrotaenia specimens collected between 9-19th January 2011 in the Makay Massif, Madagascar at three sites: Antsoha Forest 21.596°S, 45.114°E; Androtsy Forest 21.569°S, 45.076°E; and Ankilytsoky 21.674°S, 44.993°E. Presence or absence of lateral and ventral line markings are recorded for each specimen in addition to their response to a predatory threat

Image Analyses from Behavioral Study

Chameleons were collected between 9-19th January 2011 in the Makay Massif, Madagascar at three sites: Antsoha Forest 21.596°S, 45.114°E; Androtsy Forest 21.569°S, 45.076°E; and Ankilytsoky 21.674°S, 44.993°E. Video from behavioral trials were used to take snapshots of various chameleon views and analyzed using ImageJ. SVL is the snout-vent length. Specimen is a specific identification number assigned to each specimen that is composed of the date and number

Full Museum Data

AMNH and USNM museum specimens across Chamaeleonidae were scored for a variety of coloration and line morphological traits. Tubercle size was estimated as none (0), small (S), medium (M), large (L), and ridge (R)