What’s the point? The functional role of claws in pad-bearing taxa (Gekkota: Diplodactylidae)

Morphological adaptations facilitate effective movement within habitats. Claws are among the most common adaptations enabling organisms to use inclined and vertical surfaces. However, some taxa have evolved adhesive pads in addition to claws, with claws suggested to be more effective at gripping coarse surfaces, while pads attach better to fine-grained surfaces. Using test surfaces that represented the range of surface roughness used by six species of diplodactylid geckos in nature, we quantified the role of claws and pads acting together, and of pads alone. We examined two functional traits, attachment (on inclines, 45° and vertical surfaces, 90°) and clinging ability (on inclines only). Claws were critical to attachment on vertical surfaces, and attachment declined linearly with decreasing surface roughness. Although attachment was lowest on fine-grained surfaces, this was where claws had the greatest functional contribution. Clinging ability also declined linearly with decreasing surface roughness, where claws played an additive role. Our study highlights novel results describing the function of gecko adhesive systems on different surfaces and suggests a clade-specific interaction of claws and pads. Specifically, we highlight that pads alone can be capable of attachment on rough surfaces, with claws contributing more on fine-grained surfaces.