Measuring Scalation and Body Dimensions in the Inhabiting Lizard C. Sexlineatus - Research Paper Example

The study involved vertical and horizontal counting of the body scales and the counting of forthright front toe (FRFT) and measuring head size and snout-vent length (SVL). The results were obtained separately for male and female sexes and analyzed statistically using ANNOVA and regression methods either as within or between islands. The findings of the study established a correlation between and within the islands for the number of body scales with females exhibiting the higher number of scales than males.

The observation of the investigation led to the conclusion that the morphological variations in the lizard's bodies (C. sexlineatus) are caused by climatic and vegetation variations probably as a result of divergent evolution as lizard strive to adjust to their environment by natural selection. Geographical location and its associated environmental conditions influence the morphological pattern of animals inhabiting particular regions. Whether the morphological variations are, as a result, of adaptive characteristics of the animal species to the environmental conditions or due to nutritional availability in various geographical areas, these variations can provide evidence of the divergent evolution of similar animal species.

According to Brown, “the morphological divergence of the lizard population within an island may be similar or even more pronounced than the divergence of the species distributed in the entire continent.” The morphological variation of the animal species distributed in various geographical locations is, as a result, of “natural selection” caused by ecological variations. Previous studies in most cases have shown a correlation between the environment and the morphological variations of the measured variables.