Reptiles on Islands: Gecko Stories from the Indian Ocean Islands | Ashwini Mohan
Despite lacking the ability to fly, terrestrial reptiles have reached most islands around the world, with a few exceptions close to the poles. Once they colonise an island with larger geographical space and more ecological opportunities, reptiles have undergone speciation through a number of interesting mechanisms. Some of the most valuable lessons in evolution and drivers of speciation have been gained by studying island ecosystems, and reptiles are among some of the best storytellers. Among reptiles, geckoes, with limited dispersal abilities and hard-shelled eggs that could survive long-distance oceanic currents, yet high degrees of local endemism, are well-placed to uncover the links between islands and biodiversity. In the western Indian Ocean, islands are diverse in their size, time of origin, geological history, distance to the larger continents, and consequently the reptile biodiversity they harbour. Madagascar is a large island-continent due to its size, long-term isolation from surrounding landmasses, and climatic complexity, while the smaller, volcanic Comoros and Mascarenes archipelagos are younger, smaller, and less complex. Just east of the Indian subcontinent lie the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are yet another different kind of archipelago with complex origins. Through studies across some of these islands, we have uncovered complex colonisation histories, speciation patterns, and diversity of geckos in the western Indian Ocean islands. I share some of these stories to provide a larger picture of the links between islands and reptile biodiversity in the Indian Ocean.
Dr Ashwini Mohan is currently a postdoctoral researcher studying comparative genomics in the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. For her PhD research, she studied geckos in the Indian Ocean islands. She continues to be fascinated by complex colonisation histories and speciation in island ecosystems with a specific focus on geckoes. Ashwini is a national geographic explorer and has been an active science communicator during her time in the NHM London. She has been an ardent voice for women in STEM, measures for equity and diversity in the global and Indian context.
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