Environment drives color pattern polymorphism in sand lizards beyond the Gloger's rule
Journal: Journal of Zoology
Year: 2023

Abstract Species color and color pattern vary geographically contributing to environmental tolerance of the species to the fluctuating climate. In a constantly changing environment, the population remains polymorphic, when individuals that are not acclimated to the current environment can survive adverse time periods. Factors influencing color morph frequencies in populations affect spatial variation through local adaptation, which is in turn linked to large‐scale environmental gradients. The in