page_title: Anolis ecomorphs
section_title: Trunk-crown ecomorph
hierarchical_section_title: Anolis ecomorphs / Trunk-crown ecomorph
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: männlicher Anolis allisoni im Terrarium fotografiert English: Male Anolis allisoni photographed in a terrarium.
context_page_description: The ecomorph concept is a term first coined by Ernest Edward Williams in 1972 which he defined as a “species with the same structural habitat/niche, similar in morphology and behavior, but not necessarily close phyletically.” Williams first applied this definition to the Greater Antillean anoles upon observing their evolutionary radiation, although it has since been used widely elsewhere.
  Anoles have repeatedly evolved into similar forms on different islands, dubbed 'ecomorphs'. Convergence is in microhabitat specialty, behavior, and morphology. Langerhans, Knouft & Losos call the set of Anolis lizard ecomorphs of the Greater Antilles "a classic example of convergent evolution." Jonathan Losos defined six Anolis ecomorphs according to the predominant microhabitat of the respective Anolis: crown giant, trunk-crown, trunk, trunk-ground, twig, and grass-bush.
context_section_description: These are anoles which inhabit the uppermost reaches of the trunks of tall trees as well as the lower canopy; they are generally found several metres off the ground. Trunk-crown anole are usually predominantly green and have relatively large sub-digital toe-pads and short stout legs to aid in arboreal locomotion. These anoles eat small arboreal insects, smaller lizards, and some species have been observed to consume fruits and nectar; they have triangular, flattened heads, possibly to aid in nectar consumption. Trunk-crown anoles often exhibit the most drastic color changing abilities of any species and are capable of entering several darker phases which are used selectively from very dark to convey stress to light brown or grey for thermoregulation. Other anole ecomorphs are able to change color, but with the exception of some crown giants this is usually to a lesser extent. A few examples of trunk-crown anoles are shown below.
caption: Anolis allisoni showing one of its thermoregulatory darker phases
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