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As species move into new environments through founder events, their phenotypes may diverge from native populations. Identifying the drivers underlying such variation and the constraints on the adaptive potential of this variation is essential for understanding how organisms respond to new or rapidly changing habitats. Such phenotypic divergence may be especially evident in populations introduced to new environments via human-assisted transport or in dramatically altered environments such as cities. Sexually dimorphic species beg the additional questions of how these new environments may influence the sexes differently and how dimorphism may shape the range of potential responses. The repeated translocation, establishment, and spread of wall lizards (Podarcis spp.) from native European populations to new locations in North America provide an excellent natural experiment to explore how phenotypes may differ after establishment in a new environment. Here, we quantify body shape and the multivariate morphological phenotype (incorporating limb dimensions and head length) of common wall lizards (P. muralis) and Italian wall lizards (P. siculus) in replicated North American introductions. In both species, males are larger and have larger head length and limb dimensions than females across all sampled groups. Sexual dimorphism in the multivariate morphological phenotype was of similar magnitude when comparing native and introduced populations for both species, though the trajectory angles in multivariate trait space differed in P. siculus. When comparing introduced lizards from contemporary and historically collected museum specimens, we identified differences of similar magnitude but in different trajectories between sexes in P. siculus, and differences in both magnitude and direction of sexual dimorphism in P. muralis. These idiosyncratic patterns in phenotypic trajectories provide insight to the potential array of processes generating phenotypic variation within species at the intersection of invasion biology and urban evolution. 

CitationSnead, A.A., Meng, F., Largotta, N. et al. Diploid chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation for Lycorma delicatula. Sci Data 12, 579 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04854-8AbstractThe spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is a planthopper species (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) native to China but invasive in South Korea, Japan, and the United States where it is a significant threat to agriculture. Hence, genomic resources are critical to both management and understand the genomic characteristics of successful invaders. Here, we report a haplotype-phased genome assembly and annotation using PacBio long-read sequencing, Hi-C technology, and RNA-seq data. The 2.2 Gbp genome comprises 13 chromosomes, and our whole genome sequencing of eighty-two adults indicated chromosome four as the sex chromosome and anXO sex-determination system.We identified over 12,000 protein coding genes and performed functional annotation, facilitating identification of several candidate genes which may hold importance for spotted lanternfly control. Both the assemblies and annotations were highly complete with over 96% of BUSCO genes complete regardless of the database employed (i.e., Eukaryota, Arthropoda, Insecta). This reference-quality genome will serve as an important resource for both development and optimization of management practices for the spotted lanternfly and invasive genomics as a whole.Description of the data and file structureThis dataset contains the haplotype-phased chromosome-level genome assembly of the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) described and published in Snead & Meng et al. (in review). The genome combined long-read data and HiC data (SRA31402152-SRA31402153) to assembly and scaffold each haplotype. The annotation uses RNAseq data from 12 adults (SRA31411873-SRA31411894) to structurally annotate both haplotypes. Finally, whole-genome sequencing of 82 adult spotted lanternfly (bioproject PRJNA1136004) described in the metadata csv provided was used to identify punitive sex chromosomes. The dataset also include GO results for each chromosome not explicitly described in the results of the manuscript.Files and variablesFile: SLF_Hap1.fastaDescription: A fasta file of the assembled genome for the cleaned 13 chromosome haplotype 1 assembly.File: SLF_Hap2.fastaDescription: A fasta file of the assembled genome for the cleaned 13 chromosome haplotype 2 assembly.File: SLF_Hap1_Repeats.gffDescription: A gff file of the repeats annotated in the cleaned 13 chromosome haplotype 1 assembly.File: SLF_Hap2_Repeats.gffDescription: A gff file of the repeats annotated in the cleaned 13 chromosome haplotype 2 assembly.File: SLF_Hap1.gffDescription: A structural annotation of the 13 chromosome haplotype 1 assembly with functional annotations.File: SLF_Hap2.gffDescription: A structural annotation of the 13 chromosome haplotype 2 assembly with functional annotations.File: GO_plot_chr_1.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 1.File: GO_plot_chr_2.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 2.File: GO_plot_chr_3.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 3.File: GO_plot_chr_8.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 8.File: GO_plot_chr_5.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 5.File: GO_plot_chr_4.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 4.File: GO_plot_chr_6.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 6.File: GO_plot_chr_7.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 7.File: GO_plot_chr_11.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 11.File: GO_plot_chr_9.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 9.File: GO_plot_chr_10.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 10.File: GO_plot_chr_12.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 12.File: GO_plot_chr_13.pngDescription: An image of the top 20 GO term results for chromosome 13.File: SLF_Samples_SRA.csvDescription: A csv with the sequencing information, SRA numbers, and sexes of the adults used in to identify the putative sex chromosome.File: SLF_RNAseq_Metadata.csvDescription: A csv with the sequencing information, SRA numbers, and other metadata for the RNAseq used to annotation the genomes.Variablesaccession: The SRA accession numberstudy: The studyobject_status: If the NCBI submission was new or not.bioproject_accession: The bioproject accession numberbiosample_accession: The Biosample accession numberlibrary_ID: The ID used to identify that genomic library.title: The title of the study (the bioproject)library_strategy: Specific sequencing technique used to prepare the library.library_source: The biological material used to create the sequencing library.library_selection: The library preparation method.library_layout: The arrangement of reads within the sequencing library.platform: The sequencing platform.instrument_model: The model of the sequences.design_description: Description of the study design.filetype: Type of filefilename: First filefilename2: Second filesex: The biological sex of the adult.Code/softwareThe initial haplotype-phased scaffolded genome was assembled by Dovetail Genomics (Cantata Bio) with standard software outlined in the methods with default settings. Scripts for the remaining work including annotation, gene ontology enrichment, and other analyses are located in the Github repository (https://github.com/anthonysnead/SLF-Genome-Assembly(opens in new window)).Access informationOther publicly accessible locations of the data:The raw sequencing data and the annotated haplotype-phased genome assembly of Lycorma delicatula have been deposited at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). The Hi-C and HiFi data can be found under SRA31402152 and SRA31402153. The RNA-seq data can be found under SRA31411873-SRA31411894, while the DNA-seq data can be found under bioproject PRJNA1136004. 

Urbanization drastically transforms landscapes, resulting in fragmentation, degradation, and the loss of local biodiversity. Yet, urban environments also offer opportunities to observe rapid evolutionary change in wild populations that survive and even thrive in these novel habitats. In many ways, cities represent replicated “natural experiments” in which geographically separated populations adaptively respond to similar selection pressures over rapid evolutionary timescales. Little is known, however, about the genetic basis of adaptive phenotypic differentiation in urban populations nor the extent to which phenotypic parallelism is reflected at the genomic level with signatures of parallel selection. Here, we analyzed the genomic underpinnings of parallel urban-associated phenotypic change in Anolis cristatellus , a small-bodied neotropical lizard found abundantly in both urbanized and forested environments. We show that phenotypic parallelism in response to parallel urban environmental change is underlain by genomic parallelism and identify candidate loci across the Anolis genome associated with this adaptive morphological divergence. Our findings point to polygenic selection on standing genetic variation as a key process to effectuate rapid morphological adaptation. Identified candidate loci represent several functions associated with skeletomuscular development, morphology, and human disease. Taken together, these results shed light on the genomic basis of complex morphological adaptations, provide insight into the role of contingency and determinism in adaptation to novel environments, and underscore the value of urban environments to address fundamental evolutionary questions. 

Abstract Human activity drastically transforms landscapes, generating novel habitats to which species must adaptively respond. Consequently, urbanization is increasingly recognized as a driver of phenotypic change. The structural environment of urban habitats presents a replicated natural experiment to examine trait–environment relationships and phenotypic variation related to locomotion. We use geometric morphometrics to examine claw morphology of five species of Anolis lizards in urban and forest habitats. We find that urban lizards undergo a shift in claw shape in the same direction but varying magnitude across species. Urban claws are overall taller, less curved, less pointed and shorter in length than those of forest lizards. These differences may enable more effective attachment or reduce interference with toepad function on smooth anthropogenic substrates. We also find an increase in shape disparity, a measurement of variation, in urban populations, suggesting relaxed selection or niche expansion rather than directional selection. This study expands our understanding of the relatively understudied trait of claw morphology and adds to a growing number of studies demonstrating phenotypic changes in urban lizards. The consistency in the direction of the shape changes we observed supports the intriguing possibility that urban environments may lead to predictable convergent adaptive change. 

Abstract Anolis lizards are well known for their specialist ecomorphs characterized by the convergent evolution of suites of traits linked to the use of particular microhabitats. Many of these same traits evolve rapidly in response to novel selection pressures and have been very well studied. In contrast, the tail crest, a feature present in a subset of lineages, has been almost entirely overlooked. Variation in tail crest morphology within and among species remains largely unstudied, as does the function of the trait. Here, we use the natural experiment provided by urbanization to ask whether tail crest size differs between urban and forest populations of the crested anole (Anolis cristatellus) across the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. We find that tail crest size differs primarily between regions; however, within regions, crests are invariably larger in urban than in forest environments. This difference in size is correlated with the hotter, drier conditions and sparser distribution of perches that typify urban sites, leading to the intriguing possibility that the tail crest might be under differential natural selection for signalling and/or because of the thermoregulatory challenge of urban habitats. Further study is required to shed light on the functional significance and evolution of this under-studied trait.