These historically derived niche differences are apparent in extant lizard assemblages and account for some observed structure. Iguanians and gekkotans shifted to elevated microhabitats historically, and gekkotans shifted activity to nighttime.
We suggest these traits provided them a competitive advantage during the day in terrestrial habitats. One scleroglossan clade, Autarchoglossa, combined an advanced vomeronasal chemosensory system with jaw prehension and increased activity levels. The success of this dietary shift is suggested by dominance of scleroglossans in lizard assemblages throughout the world. A preponderance of termites, grasshoppers, spiders, and insect larvae in their diets suggests that scleroglossan lizards harvest higher energy prey or avoid prey containing noxious chemicals. Iguanian diets contain large proportions of ants, other hymenopterans, and beetles, whereas these are minor prey in scleroglossan lizards. In complete absence of target data, several cheaply available source datasets related to the target distribution can be leveraged as additional information. A dietary shift occurred in the evolutionary history of squamates. We explore the historical ecology of squamates (lizards and snakes), identify historically derived differences among clades, and examine how this history has affected present‐day squamate assemblages globally.
The structure of communities may be largely a result of evolutionary changes that occurred many millions of years ago.
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