Racing amidst change: urbanization and climate alter functional traits and distribution of an Amazonian parthenogenetic lizard

Habitat modification, including global climate change, deforestation, and
urbanization, poses significant challenges for species. For organisms that
can persist and thrive in altered landscapes, new habitat structures may
lead to niche expansion and phenotypical changes. Here, we investigated
the variation in morphology and thermal physiology between natural and
neonative (urban) populations of Gymnophthalmus underwoodi Grant, 1958, a
parthenogenetic lizard found in the Amazonia, and forecasted its current
and future distribution under climate change scenarios. We compared
morphological and thermal traits and assessed urban environments as a
potentially stressful habitat using asymmetry indexes. Additionally, we
utilized a hybrid species distribution model to infer potential dispersion
routes and changes in the species’ distribution until 2100 under different
climate change scenarios. We found that the neonative population
demonstrates enhanced sprint performance compared to the native population
as a result of larger hindfeet and forearms of individuals. The
distribution model indicates a strong association of the species with open
areas near rivers and cities, which may facilitate individuals'
dispersion across southern Amazonia. Additionally, the species shows low
risks of local extinction and a degree of tolerance to predicted future
climates, even in extreme scenarios, with distribution ranges inferred to
increase over open areas within Amazonia. Our study represents one example
in which an Amazonian thermoregulator lizard species may actually benefit
from anthropogenic environmental changes, highlighting landscape
modification as an important factor in the dispersion of neonative
species.