Data from: Convergent evolution in the territorial communication of a classic adaptive radiation: Caribbean Anolis lizards

To demonstrate adaptive convergent evolution, it must be shown that shared
phenotypes have evolved independently in different lineages and that a
credible selection pressure underlies adaptive evolution. There are a
number of robust examples of adaptive convergence in morphology for which
both these criteria have been met, but examples from animal behaviour have
rarely been tested as rigorously. Adaptive convergence should be common in
behaviour, especially behaviour used for communication, because the
environment often shapes the evolution of signal design. In this study we
report on the origins of a shared design of a territorial display among
Anolis species of lizards from two island radiations in the Caribbean.
These lizards perform an elaborate display that consists of a complex
series of headbobs and dewlap extensions. The way in which these movements
are incorporated into displays is generally species specific, but species
on the islands of Jamaica and Puerto Rico also share fundamental aspects
in display design, resulting in two general display types. We confirm
these display types are convergent (the consequence of independent
evolution on each island) and provide evidence that the convergence was
driven by selection for enhanced signal efficiency. Our study shows how
adaptation to common environmental variables can drive the evolution of
adaptive, convergent signals in distantly related species.