polymorph photos on Flickr

Parts of Georgia and Florida are known for having geodized, agatized corals. The original coral skeletons were composed of aragonite (CaCO3, calcium carbonate), a polymorph of calcite. The fossil corals have since been silicified and geodized, resulting in chalcedony-lined cavities / vugs.

Stratigraphy: supposedly from marine sedimentary rocks in the Hawthorn Group, Tertiary

Locality: undisclosed / unrecorded site attributed to the Withlacoochee River, near the Georgia-Florida border, far-southern Georgia, USA

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Info. at:

www.apalachee-minerals.com/agatizedcoral1

Anthodites (Skyline Caverns, Front Royal, Virginia, USA) 18 by James St. John

Anthodites in a cave in Virginia, USA.

"Cave formations" in caves are technically called speleothem. Most speleothem is composed of travertine, a crystalline-textured chemical sedimentary rock composed of calcite (CaCO3). Travertine forms in most caves and at some springs by precipitation of crystals from water. Travertine speleothem occurs in a wide variety of forms. The most common variety of travertine speleothem is dripstone, which forms by the action of dripping water. The second-most common type of travertine speleothem is flowstone, which forms by precipitation of crystals from relatively thin films of flowing water. Flowstone typically has the appearance of a frozen waterfalls.

Shown above are anthodites, a scarce variety of speleothem that was first described from this very cave - Skyline Caverns in Virginia. Anthodites are radiating clusters of quill-like to slightly vermiform structures. Individual anthodite quills are hollow. Mineral analysis by White (1994) has shown that they are composed of aragonite (CaCO3), which is a polymorph of calcite. Some have recrystallized to calcite. The anthodites of Skyline Caverns were originally in sealed chambers in a mostly-sediment filled cave passage. During tourist trail construction, workers dug out sediments and encountered small chambers having common anthodites. They were subsequently named and described in the literature in 1949. The anthodite-bearing chambers were unusual in having near-vacuum conditions. Upon opening one chamber, a worker's hat was sucked in by the low air pressure.

When pure calcium carbonate, anthodites are white-colored. The yellows and browns seen above are from iron oxides. The green coloration is from algae that grows in tourist trail lighting.

Skyline Caverns is developed in structurally tilted carbonates (mixed dolostones and limestones) of the Rockdale Run Formation (Beekmantown Group, Lower Ordovician).

Locality: Skyline Caverns, Front Royal, central Warren County, northern Virginia, USA

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Reference cited:

White (1994) - The anthodites from Skyline Caverns, Virginia: the type locality. National Speleological Society Bulletin (Journal of Caves and Karst Studies) 56: 23-26.

Spherulitic obsidian (Medicine Lake Highlands, California, USA) 1 by James St. John

Spherulitic obsidian from the Cenozoic of California, USA.

The black material is obsidian, a glassy-textured, felsic to intermediate volcanic rock. The whitish-gray areas are perlite devitrification spherulites composed of cristobalite (SiO2), a polymorph of quartz.

Locality: unrecorded/undisclosed site east of Cougar Butte, Medicine Lake Highlands, far-eastern Siskiyou County, northern California, USA

No. 44/56: Looking After the Ocean by Matthew Wells

The 56 Full Sized Morphs Are:

The 23 Mini Morphs Are:

DSCN4755.Micropipetting.DanWhalen,BarbaraBess-Pashak by Edward Bujak

Princeton Molecular Biology Workshop

at the

Springside School, Philadelphia, PA

April 1, 2, 15, and 18, 2009

This photo is from

April 15 - Human VNTR Polymorphism

Aragonite (possibly from Spain) 1 by James St. John

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A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 6100 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.

The carbonate minerals all contain one or more carbonate (CO3-2) anions.

Aragonite has the same chemistry as calcite - it is calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Why is it a different mineral? Aragonite has a different molecular structure - the atoms are packed differently. Different minerals having the same chemical formula are called polymorphs (another good example is graphite & diamond - both C).

The difference in atomic-level packing between calcite and aragonite can be seen at the level of mineral hand samples. Aragonite forms crystals in the orthorhombic class. Many aragonite crystals are acicular (needle-like). Many aragonites form pseudohexagonal crystals, the result of 6 orthorhombic prisms growing parallel to each other. The specimen seen here is a side view of a cyclic-twinned, pseudohexagonal aragonite mass.

Aragonite is slightly harder than calcite, at H=3.5 to 4, occurs in many colors, and easily bubbles in acid. Aragonite is a little bit heavier than calcite, due to closer packing of atoms.

Most modern seashells & coral skeletons are composed of the aragonite. Whitish-colored lime sand beaches in the world are aragonitic. Occasionally, "whitings" are seen in shallow, warm ocean environments. Whitings (cloudy, milky seawater) turn out to be loaded with tiny hair-like needles of aragonite.

In the rock record, aragonitic or aragonite-rich sediments convert to calcite over time. Cenozoic-aged carbonate sedimentary rocks are often aragonitic. Mesozoic- and Paleozoic-aged carbonates are almost always calcitic. Many ancient fossils have had their aragonitic shells dissolved away. Ancient shells that were originally calcitic are often still well preserved.

Locality: unrecorded / undisclosed, but possibly from Spain

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Photo gallery of aragonite:

www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=307

Scarlet Mormon (papilio rumanzovia) by Matthew Hancox

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This striking swallowtail actually has no tails at all, however like other similar mormon butterflies they originated in Southern Asia and Australia. Caterpillar host plants are most likely Rutaceae.

The origins of giving common English names to organisms, particularly butterflies for tropical species started in India around the mid 19th century ... The naming of Mormons evolved slowly. I think the first to get such a name was the Common Mormon (Papilio polytes), because it had three different females, a fact that could only have been observed in the field, and this they did in India. The name obviously reflected the ... Mormon sect in America, which as we know, practiced polygamy. Another school of thought as to why these 3 species are dubbed “Mormon”: The Scarlet Mormon (Papilio rumanzovia), Great Mormon (Papilio memnon) and Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) are all beautifully colored in black and white, often with red markings. The high contrast patterns along with their relatively large size cause members of these species to standout to visitors of the butterfly exhibit. Furthermore, Butterfly Wing visitors will think they are seeing more species than they actually are, because each of the Mormons is sexually dimorphic (males and females differ) as well as polymorphic (more than one wing pattern). These polymorphisms were first described nearly a century and a half ago.

Source: davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/5058/

Luminescence Open Day, Saturday 25th May, 2013 by Institute of Making

Polymorph

IMG_1900 by - Hob -

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Now it's not so loose. Hose clips are great. It'll still wobble a bit, but the polymorph sorts that out.

Lost my tail.... :( by _AnjAnA_

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Common Banded Peacock (Papilio crino)

Our party boldly wanders into the hall by Anca Mosoiu

We figured that if we disguised two of us as hill giants (because that's all the polymorph spells we had), we could take some others of our party into the hall as our prisoners, make friends with the hill giants, and then ensorcel their leader to cease the awful war of aggression against the elves.

It all went well at first. Taranis and Kaela, the party's mage and psionic, were transformed into male hill giants. We left two of our best fighters to infliltrate the smoky rafters of the hall. We took our less agile companions in as prisoners, loosely bound.

The hill giant hazing ritual was going well. Fists were flying good-naturedly, and we were just about to be inducted into the hill giant group, where Taranis could get close enough to the leader. Unfortunately, Cerulean recognized Celog, and went for him. The elf flew into a panic at being approached by a 17-foot Storm giant. Yuri, who held no great love for old Cerulean, whipped out a powerful rod that transformed his bones to jelly, killing Cerulean instantly.

All hell broke loose after that. Taranis and Kaela quickly set off a few fireballs, killing most of the hill giants, but not denting the stone giants lurking at the other end of the room. Nosnra rallied his men into a retreat to their underground caves, and our party was left to wander the compound before it burned to the ground from all the fireballs.

Whow knows what will happen next time, on Bobbin's Angels?

Wheelie by Lena Kibbler by Matthew Wells

The 56 Full Sized Morphs Are:

The 23 Mini Morphs Are:

Cyborg Morph & George Peabody by Matthew Wells

The 56 Full Sized Morphs Are:

The 23 Mini Morphs Are:

Luminescence Open Day, Saturday 25th May, 2013 by Institute of Making

Lots more Polymorph fun

Luminescence Open Day, Saturday 25th May, 2013 by Institute of Making

An amazing Peacock made of Polymorph

Polymorphism by pseudacris

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Plethodon vehiculum, Clatsop County, Oregon. Found under a single board.

Teapotty on display in a cabinet at the V&A by Rain Rabbit

Teapotty! is an interactive electronic teapot I've constructed for the Chi-TEK tech tea party event at the V&A in Sept 11. Before and after the tea party, it will sit quietly on display in a cabinet for 3 months. www.mztek.org/programs/chi-tek/

Teapotty! is a teapot sitting on a servo which takes readings from a magnetometer which is influenced by neodymium magnets in a cup. The magnetometer takes the reading from the north position, plays a bit of something similar to the Tetley Tea tune and then moves to a new position - where the teacup moves to. BlinkM RGB LEDs indicate the new position of the teapot by changing colour based on the teapot's new position from 0-180 degrees. I made some polymorph diffuser covers for them & also added heart confetti to emphasise the feeling of heartwarming happiness a cup of tea can bring :-)

My videos & blog post are here: rainycatz.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/teapotty-electronic-te...

Bright lights shining by Karsten Schmidt

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Donceliña de Gené (Ischnura genei) by Iago Sanmartín Villar

Femias inmaduras. Infuscans (esquerda) e androcroma (dereita).

"Infuscans (left) and androchrome (right) inmature females."

Clidemia hirta on Ohia by Scot Nelson

Koster's curse

Fulgurite (Sahara Dune Field, Morocco) 12 by James St. John

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Fulgurite from Morocco.

Fulgurites are glassy to vesicular, tubular to branching masses caused by lightning striking the ground (often unconsolidated materials such as sand or soil). If the target materials are silica-rich (SiO2 - quartz), then the fulgurites will be composed of lechatelierite, a form of amorphous silica. The lechatelierite in older fulgurites will have converted to cristobalite or tridymite, which are crystalline polymorphs of quartz.

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Info. from label:

Fulgurites form when a lightning bolt strikes the Earth's surface, fusing the material into a glass tube, sometimes with a hollow center. When lightning strikes sandy soil, the air and moisture in the sand are rapidly heated. Quartz sand melts at a temperature of roughly 1600° Celsius to 2000° Celsius, depending on the moisture content. The name comes from the Latin "fulgur", for lightning.

These are Type 1 fulgurites, which form in sand as tubular structures, sometimes with the central opening collapsed, and frequently coated with sand.

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Locality: undisclosed site in the Sahara Dune Field, Morocco, northwestern Africa

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Info. at:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgurite

Morph's Epic Art Adventure: Chocks Away! by Matthew Wells

The 56 Full Sized Morphs Are:

The 23 Mini Morphs Are:

DSCN4754.MarciaButler,KarenMcClellen,ScottStein by Edward Bujak

Princeton Molecular Biology Workshop

at the

Springside School, Philadelphia, PA

April 1, 2, 15, and 18, 2009

This photo is from

April 15 - Human VNTR Polymorphism

DSCN4751.Microcentrifuge.all by Edward Bujak

Princeton Molecular Biology Workshop

at the

Springside School, Philadelphia, PA

April 1, 2, 15, and 18, 2009

This photo is from

April 15 - Human VNTR Polymorphism

Small concave diffuser by Stephen Smith

The concave shape was inspired by Steb1's small concave diffuser he created for his MT24 EX (Canon equivalent of Nikon's R1C1 macro flash system), you can see Steb1's equipment setup here - flic.kr/s/aHsjjHRWp5.

I molded some plastic around the end of the SB-R200 using polymorph which protuded enough to slot in a small plastic tube. The tube naturally bends into an oval shape when slotted into the plastic mold. A concave, oval shaped deodorant lid is placed in the end which has further diffusion by 2 layers of velum paper glued to the deodorant lid. Not ideal for lighting background but concentrates the light at the subject and is very portable and not clunky or oversized like previous designs.

Meandering Morph by Matthew Wells

Shortcuts to All 20 Morphs:-

The Starry Night at Beacon Shopping Centre by Matthew Wells

Shortcuts to All 20 Morphs:-

The Target of Morph Hunters by Matthew Wells

The 56 Full Sized Morphs Are:

The 23 Mini Morphs Are:

Aragonite needles in vug in dolostone (Vinton Member, Logan Formation, Lower Mississippian; Route 16 roadcut northeast of Frazeysburg, Ohio, USA) 2 by James St. John

Vug with aragonite crystals in dolostone in the Mississippian of Ohio, USA.

This rock has a small vug containing numerous clear to whitish needles of aragonite (CaCO3 - calcium carbonate). Aragonite is a less common polymorph of calcite and is rarely found in Ohio. The host rock is a glauconitic fossiliferous dolostone having crinoid stem columnals. The green spots in parts of the surrounding matrix are glauconite (click on the photo to zoom in & look around).

Stratigraphy: dolostone horizon below inferred Rushville Shale, upper Vinton Member, upper Logan Formation, ~middle Osagean Stage, upper Lower Mississippian

Locality: Trinway West 6 Outcrop - lower slopes of the eastern part of roadcut on the northwestern side of Rt. 16, 1.0 miles northeast of the Rt. 16-Old Riley Road intersection, northeast of the town of Frazeysburg & west of the town of Trinway, northwestern Muskingum County, Ohio, USA (~40° 08' 46.98" North latitude, 82° 04' 56.49" West longitude)

UCL Museums and Public Relations Away Day by Institute of Making

A couple of weeks ago Museums and Public relations department had an away day at the Institute of Making.

Composite materials station.

DNA TESTING by Emma Park

Smart DNA testing gives us an individualized report of our genetic susceptabilities to known polymorphisms (or mutations) that can have great impacts on our health. It gives us great insights into diet, lifestyle, supplements and functional pathology tests that ensure we optimize our potential.

Gaseously yellow solid by - Hob -

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Polymorph beads heated, mashed together and stretched and lit from within. Actual size about 3.5mm

Zombie SFX look. Materials used: Liquid latex + flour, Polymorph plastic, Alcohol activitvated paints and Fake bloodsculpted on face cast and applied to face by morgandadds6

smacap_BFace

Hohenbuehelia petaloides by Jacqueline Labrecque

MQCOLL-JML04105

Pleurote pétaloïde

Pileipellis (à préciser avec photos)

Pileocystides en lamprocystides :

(65,5) 71,8 - 93,2 (95,1) × (5) 5,4 - 6,2 (6,6) µm

Q: (12,4) 12,6 - 15,5 (16,8) ; N: 8

Me : 81 × 5,7 µm ; Qe: 14,2

Trame lamellaire plus ou moins régulière divergente avec hyphes parfois emmêlées mesurant jusqu’à 68,8 x 11 µm et plus, et jusqu’à 0,4 µm de diam.

Boucles présentes à tous les niveaux

Basides clavées, à 4 stérigmates, hyalines, 18,4-34,8 x 5,4-6,8 µm

Stérigmates, 5,4-6,4 x 1,3-1,6 µm

Spores ellipsoïdes, lisses, à paroi mince, hyalines, inamyloïdes, uniguttulées, avec appendice hilaire distinct, 5,8-7,3 x 3,6-4,6 µm, Me : 6,4 x 4,3 µm, Q. : 1,5, N. : 26 spores

Appendice hilaire : jusqu’à 1,06 x 0,7 µm

Cheilocystides polymorphes, fusoïdes-ventrues, fusoïdes cylindriques, lécythiformes, capitées , rarement à col étranglé, parfois ramifiées, à paroi mince à un peu épaissie, avec masse muqueuse apicale brunâtre (gliosphex) souvent présente jusqu’à 8,7 µm de diam., 25,9-36,6 x 4,5-6,5 µm

Pleurocystides très rarement en lamprocystides, fusoïdes-ventrues, lancéolées, à paroi épaissie, hyalines, faiblement jaunâtres dans le KOH, brun rougeâtre dans le Melzer, 46-77 x 9,2-14,6 µm

Recherche et révision des travaux: R. Labbé

Étude microscopique, microphotographie et identification: J. Labrecque

Photo en studio:

www.flickr.com/photos/19369983@N06/43888097621/in/photoli...

Photo sur le terrain:

www.flickr.com/photos/19369983@N06/43029838874/in/datepos...

polymorph-on-desk-bright by John Pallister

My Polymorph with some new & more colourful knobs (and less moodily lit).

Luminescence Open Day, Saturday 25th May, 2013 by Institute of Making

Fruit and veg BeetBox

Calcite by Eric Reiter

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Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 380–470°C, and vaterite is even less stable.

Grevillea banksii beside a track in the Herberton Range by tanetahi

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This is the upright, tree-like form of this variable species. As with the coastal prostrate form, red and white flowered plants can be found growing intermixed. As there are usually no intermediates, the colour is presumably determined by two different alleles of a single gene. It is quite strange that the red/white polymorphism has been retained through the evolution of the prostrate versus the upright forms.

Figure 2 by PLOS ONE PHYLOGENY

A phylogeny demonstrates that T. pallidum strains infecting baboons in Serengeti National Park and Lake Manyara National Park are genetically distinct from one another.Phylogenies were constructed using both Maximum Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood methods to analyze 25 polymorphisms in six concatenated regions of the Treponema genome. The phylogenies were congruent and a Maximum Parsimony tree was chosen for display, with bootstrap support displayed at all nodes that received greater than 50% using both methods.

Borboleta by Rodrigo Soldon Souza

As borboletas são insectos da ordem Lepidoptera classificados nas super-famílias Hesperioidea e Papilionoidea, que constituem o grupo informal Rhopalocera.

As borboletas têm dois pares de asas membranosas cobertas de escamas e peças bucais adaptadas a sucção. Distinguem-se das traças (mariposas) pelas antenas rectilíneas que terminam numa bola, pelos hábitos de vida diurnos, pela metamorfose que decorre dentro de uma crisálida rígida e pelo abdómen fino e alongado. Quando em repouso, as borboletas dobram as suas asas para cima.

As borboletas são importantes polinizadores de diversas espécies de plantas.

O ciclo de vida das borboletas engloba as seguintes etapas:

1) ovo→ fase pré-larval

2) larva→ chamada também de lagarta ou taturana,

3) pupa→ que se desenvolve dentro da crisálida (ou casulo)

4) imago→ fase adulta

_______________________

A butterfly is any of several groups of mainly day-flying insects of the order Lepidoptera, the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, butterflies' life cycle consists of four parts, egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. Butterflies comprise the true butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea), the skippers (superfamily Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (superfamily Hedyloidea). All the many other families within the Lepidoptera are referred to as moths.

Butterflies exhibit polymorphism, mimicry and aposematism. Some, like the Monarch, will migrate over long distances. Some butterflies have evolved symbiotic and parasitic relationships with social insects such as ants. Butterflies are important economically as agents of pollination. The caterpillars of some butterflies eat harmful insects. A few species are pests because in their larval stages they can damage domestic crops or trees. Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.

MUNIDOPSIS POLYMORPHA-Cangrejito de los Jameos-LANZAROTE-CANARY ISLANDS by el chasnero

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Particularismes des Glutes Polymorphes en Milieu Incertain - 06/07/17 by Le Cube

Dans le cadre de son exposition « Prototypes du Grand Napotakeu (2) » présentée au Cube jusqu’au 22 juillet, Jérôme Lefdup propose une sélection de ses vidéos réalisées au cours des trente dernières années. Ces vidéos sont autant des témoignages des phénomènes étranges observables dans Le Grand Napotakeu, mais aussi une ode à une de ses créatures les plus représentatives et déjà présente dans certaines pièces de son exposition au Cube : la Glute (et ses cousines Polyglutes, Multiglutes, Métaglutes, etc.).

La projection est suivie par la présentation et la mise en vente du tirage de tête (10 exemplaires) du livre en 5 volumes « Le Grand Napotakeu ». Les visiteurs munis de lecteur de QR-Codes pourront commander sur place les volumes de leur choix.

Une collation amicale après la projection vous convaincra que « les Glutes, c’est super ».

Grevillea banksii beside a track in the Herberton Range by tanetahi

1 1

This is the upright, tree-like form of this variable species. As with the coastal prostrate form, red and white flowered plants can be found growing intermixed. As there are usually no intermediates, the colour is presumably determined by two different alleles of a single gene. It is quite strange that the red/white polymorphism has been retained through the evolution of the prostrate versus the upright forms.

UCL Museums and Public Relations Away Day by Institute of Making

A couple of weeks ago Museums and Public relations department had an away day at the Institute of Making.

Composite materials station.

Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis) by PHOTOGRAPHY by DM & DBM.

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Podarcis muralis (common wall lizard) is a species of lizard with a large distribution in Europe and well-established introduced populations in North America, where it is also called the European wall lizard. It can grow to about 20 cm (7.9 in) in total length. The animal has shown variation in the places it has been introduced to. Fossils have been found in a cave in Greece dating to the early part of the Holocene.

Description

The common wall lizard is a small, thin lizard whose small scales are highly variable in colour and pattern. Its coloration is generally brownish or greyish, and may occasionally be tinged with green. In some individuals, the row of spots along their backs may form a line, while others may have a reticulated pattern with dark spots on the side and scattered white spots that can be blue in the shoulder region. The tail is brown, grey or rust in colour, and may also have light bars on the sides. The belly region has six rows of larger rectangular scales that are generally reddish, pink, or orangish. Common wall lizards may also have dark markings on the throat. This lizard has six distinct morphological forms which are identified by the colouration of its throat and underbelly. Three of these are pure morphs consisting only of solid colours on their scales: white, red (orange) or yellow, and three other morphs are distinguished by a combination of colours: white-yellow, white-red and yellow-red.

Ecology

The common wall lizard prefers rocky environments, including urban settings, where it can scurry between rock, rubble, debris and buildings. In the southern part of its range it tends to occur in humid or semi-humid habitats, compared to drier habitats in the north.

Chemical communication

Common wall lizards rely both on visual and chemical signals to communicate with conspecifics. Male wall lizards are equipped with femoral glands, which produce a waxy secretion used for chemical signalling. Both the proteinic and lipophilic compounds in the secretions are known to carry socially relevant information.

Polymorphism

The six morphs of this lizard are primarily identifiable by colour and can be distinguished with the naked eye. However, they are commonly confirmed by digital photo and colour analysis. Source of colouration comes from different pigments within the lizard, with yellow colouration originating from carotenoids, and the expression of red/orange colour from pteridines. This is indicative that a phenomenon such as multiple alleles or epistasis may have a role in determining morphology. Morphs also differ in aspects other than colouration: differences between morphs are seen with femoral gland secretion, immune competence and body size. For males, colouration is visible on the underbelly, but in females of all the morphs there is less colouration seen in this region, indicating that sexual dimorphism occurs within this species. A study found sexual dimorphism in the digit ratios. Namely, they found a significant difference (after Bonferroni correction) of the 2D:4D ratio on both forepaws and the 2D:3D ratio on the left forepaw, with all ratios being larger in male animals. This study was conducted on a sample set of 18 male and 18 female museum specimens.

Variations between morphs

Aside from differences in colour, the morphs vary by length, survival rate, and immune resistance/response to infection.

Susceptibility to infection also varies between morphs, red and yellow-red morphs are the most susceptible to infection by the haemogregarine parasite, a common parasite for these lizards. White morphs are the most resistant to this parasite and the yellow morphs are at an intermediate value of immune resistance and intensity. Certain traits can also lead to a variation in snout-vent length in each of these morphs. For example, in orange morphs, sexual selection favours larger morphs which makes them, on average, larger than the other morphs.

The femoral gland secretions of males differ in chemical composition according to each respective morph. Secretions are used by males for intra-species communication, such as marking of territories and attracting potential mates. Individuals share the same organics within the secretions, but the concentrations of certain key compounds differ. For example, α-tocopherol is present in higher concentrations in the secretions of red morphs. This molecule allows for scents to remain in the environment longer by reducing the rate of oxidation in humid environments. This indicates that red morphs tend to be more territorial and maintain territories for longer periods of time compared to other morphs. This phenomenon is also seen when it comes to the age of lizards. Similarly, older, more territorial lizards have higher levels of α-tocopherol compared to younger individuals who are more prone to roaming regardless of morph. Again, indicating that the composition of the secretions relate to the function. Furanones are found in higher concentrations in white morphs, followed by yellow, then red morphs.

Among females, reproductive strategies differ by morph; yellow females are r strategists, producing many smaller eggs in their clutch which would allow for numerous offspring to be produced and proliferate in smaller populations with less competition. White females are K strategists, producing fewer, larger eggs which makes offspring more likely to survive in harsher, more competitive environments.[18] Red females can be r or K strategists based on the environment they are in. The existence of alternate strategies points to how morphs have adapted to different environments and hints to the maintenance of colour polymorphism as with fluctuations in environments each morph will eventually be the fittest and as such will not be selected out of the population.

The differences observed between morphs are unique evolutionary trade offs employed by each morph to promote survival within the different environments they face in light of limited ability to adapt perfectly to each pressure. Such a trade off is seen when comparing orange morphs to white morphs: morphs, on average, have larger body sizes compared to the white morphs but, in exchange, they are more prone to parasitic infection. In orange morphs, more emphasis is placed on being larger and having the ability to physically compete and ward of potential threats, but in white morphs, metabolic emphasis is placed on having a more hardy immune system to resist infection. Again, these trade offs can arise as there are selective differences in the environment each morph prefers. The differences in the relative proportions of the morphs with respect to location show that environmental pressures differ and some morphs' trade offs are more successful in specific environments than another's.

Distribution and status

The natural range spans much of the mainland Europe except from the north and very south and extends to Turkey. It occurs as introduced populations in southern Britain, where one such population in the seaside town of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight has become somewhat famous, and also in North America. There has been some scientific debate as to whether the populations in Southern England represent the northern edge of their native range.

North America

Podarcis muralis has been introduced in the United States and is spreading throughout the Cincinnati metropolitan area. It is commonly observed living in limestone outcrops, rock walls, and rubble along the Ohio River basin.

It is referred to locally in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area as the "Lazarus lizard", as it was introduced to the area around 1950 by George Rau, a boy who was a member of the family who owned the Lazarus department store chain (now absorbed into Macy's). After he returned from a family vacation to northern Italy, he released about 10 of the reptiles near his Cincinnati home. Genetic testing has revealed that as few as only three of these lizards survived long enough to reproduce, meaning they were subject to an extreme genetic bottleneck. This prolific lizard has reproduced exponentially; it continues to expand its distribution range annually, and has established itself so well in southwest Ohio, it is now considered a naturalized species by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and is protected under state law (it is illegal to harm, capture, or possess this animal without a proper licence).

Besides Ohio, P. muralis has also been introduced in other U.S. states. Populations occur in Kenton and Campbell counties in Kentucky, and in parts of Indiana.

The European wall lizard was also introduced to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada in 1970, when a dozen individuals were released into the wild from a small private zoo

by Matthew Wells

The 56 Full Sized Morphs Are:

The 23 Mini Morphs Are:

Tags polymorph

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