File:Lizards Acquire the Same Camouflaging Adaptation in Different Ways (8744632497).jpg
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DescriptionLizards Acquire the Same Camouflaging Adaptation in Different Ways (8744632497).jpg |
The whiptail and fence lizards are dark-colored on dark soil; however, when found on white sand, they exhibit a light skin color that helps protect them from predators. It is a case of convergent evolution involving the same Mc1r gene coding for color. In the dark ancestral lizards, the gene codes for Mc1-receptors that help cells called melanocytes make the melanin that makes the animal dark. In the white-sand-dwelling fence lizard, one copy of the mutation is sufficient to cause fewer Mc1-receptors to integrate into cell membranes, therefore resulting in a lighter color. In the whiptail lizards, the mutation is recessive and requires two copies of the gene. This combination does not affect the number of receptors integrated into cell membranes, but adversely affects their ability to transmit signal--arriving at the same result on the macro level: a lighter lizard. Find out more in the NSF press release. Credit: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation Visit NSF’s Multimedia Gallery, at www.nsf.gov/news/mmg, for more images, and for video. |
Date | |
Source | Lizards Acquire the Same Camouflaging Adaptation in Different Ways |
Author | National Science Foundation |
Licensing[edit]
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
This image is a work of a National Science Foundation employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. |
This image was originally posted to Flickr by National Science Foundation at https://flickr.com/photos/37157086@N02/8744632497. It was reviewed on 19 January 2018 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the United States Government Work. |
19 January 2018
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current | 14:10, 19 January 2018 | 1,907 × 1,200 (609 KB) | Artix Kreiger 2 (talk | contribs) | Transferred from Flickr via Flickr2Commons |
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