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Rivera-Rea J, Macotela L, Moreno-Rueda G, Suárez-Varón G, Bastiaans E, Quintana E, González-Morales JC. Thermoregulatory behavior varies with altitude and season in the sceloporine mesquite lizard. J Therm Biol 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
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2
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Plasman M, Bautista A, McCUE MD, DÍaz DE LA Vega-PÉrez AH. Resting metabolic rates increase with elevation in a mountain-dwelling lizard. Integr Zool 2020; 15:363-374. [PMID: 32306560 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Individuals that inhabit broad elevational ranges may experience unique environmental challenges. Because temperature decreases with increased elevation, the ectotherms living at high elevations have to manage limited activity time and high thermoregulatory effort. The resting metabolic rate (RMR) of a postabsorptive animal is related to its total energy requirements as well as many other fitness traits. Mesquite lizards (Sceloporus grammicus) living on La Malinche Volcano, Mexico, inhabit a wide elevational range with some populations apparently thriving above the tree line. We measured the RMR of lizards from different elevations (i.e., 2,600, 3,200, and 4,100 m) at four ecologically relevant temperatures (i.e., 15, 25, 30, and 35 °C) and found that RMR of mesquite lizards increased with temperature and body mass. More importantly, lizards from the high-elevation population had mass specific RMR that was higher at all temperatures. While the higher RMRs of high-elevation populations imply higher metabolic costs at a given temperature these lizards were also smaller. Both of these traits may allow these high elevation populations to thrive in the face of the thermal challenges imposed by their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Plasman
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México
| | - Amando Bautista
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México
| | | | - Aníbal H DÍaz DE LA Vega-PÉrez
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología-Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México
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3
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Comas M, Reguera S, Zamora-Camacho FJ, Moreno-Rueda G. Age structure of a lizard along an elevational gradient reveals nonlinear lifespan patterns with altitude. Curr Zool 2019; 66:373-382. [PMID: 32939218 PMCID: PMC7485750 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoz063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Lifespan is one of the main components of life history. Shorter lifespans can be expected
in marginal habitats. However, in the case of ectotherms, lifespan typically increases
with altitude, even though temperature—one of the main factors to determine ectotherms’
life history—declines with elevation. This pattern can be explained by the fact that a
shorter activity time favors survival. In this study, we analyzed how lifespan and other
life-history traits of the lizard Psammodromus algirus vary along a
2,200 m elevational gradient in Sierra Nevada (SE Spain). Populations at intermediate
altitudes (1,200–1,700 m), corresponding to the optimal habitat for this species, had the
shortest lifespans, whereas populations inhabiting marginal habitats (at both low and at
high altitudes) lived longest. Therefore, this lizard did not follow the typical pattern
of ectotherms, as it also lived longer at the lower limit of its distribution, nor did it
show a longer lifespan in areas with optimal habitats. These results might be explained by
a complex combination of different gradients along the mountain, namely that activity time
decreases with altitude whereas food availability increases. This could explain why
lifespan was maximum at both high (limited activity time) and low (limited food
availability) altitudes, resulting in similar lifespans in areas with contrasting
environmental conditions. Our findings also indicated that reproductive investment and
body condition increase with elevation, suggesting that alpine populations are locally
adapted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mar Comas
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, E-18071, Spain.,Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Américo Vespucio 26, Sevilla, E-41092, Spain
| | - Senda Reguera
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, E-18071, Spain
| | - Francisco J Zamora-Camacho
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, E-18071, Spain.,Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Gregorio Moreno-Rueda
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, E-18071, Spain
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4
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Comas M. Body condition, sex and elevation in relation to mite parasitism in a high mountain gecko. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Comas
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) Sevilla Spain
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Universidad de Granada Granada Spain
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5
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Luría-Manzano R, Ramírez-Bautista A. Ontogenetic variation in the diet of the anuran community from a semi-arid environment in the southeastern Chihuahuan Desert. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7908. [PMID: 31649833 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although ontogeny influences dietary composition and trophic niche breadth in many anurans, its effects on diet have been little analyzed in sympatric species. In this study, we analyzed interspecific and ontogenetic variation in dietary composition and trophic niche width in an anuran community from a semi-arid environment. We found a more profound effect of species identity than body size on dietary composition, with the diet of four species dominated by formicids, that of two others by coleopterans and formicids, and that of the remaining species not dominated by specific prey types. We found ontogenetic changes in dietary composition in three of four species analyzed, in which consumption of some small insects decreased as predator size increased, regardless of species. Additionally, we did not find ontogenetic change in prey number consumed in any of the four species, but prey size increased with increasing predator size in all of them. Most species exhibited a narrow trophic niche, which was even narrower in adults in three of the four species analyzed. Costello's modified plots revealed a high variation among individuals in termite consumption in Anaxyrus punctatus, and in more prey types in Spea multiplicata. Our results suggest that this community is not size-structured, and that ontogenetic diet shifts are mainly caused by passive sampling toward prey of different sizes. Finally, comparisons with previous data revealed an interpopulation pattern, in which trophic niche width contracts as aridity increases, possibly because of an increase in interspecific competition for trophic resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Luría-Manzano
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Poblaciones, Centro de Investigación Biológica, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Pachuca, Hidalgo, México
| | - Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Poblaciones, Centro de Investigación Biológica, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Pachuca, Hidalgo, México
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6
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Moreno-Rueda G, Melero E, Reguera S, Zamora-Camacho FJ, Álvarez-Benito I. Prey availability, prey selection, and trophic niche width in the lizard Psammodromus algirus along an elevational gradient. Curr Zool 2018; 64:603-613. [PMID: 30323839 PMCID: PMC6178790 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 10/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mountains imply enormous environmental variation, with alpine habitats entailing harsh environments, especially for ectotherms such as lizards. This environmental variability also may imply variation in prey availability. However, little is known about how lizard trophic ecology varies with elevation. In this study, we analyze diet, prey availability, prey selection, and trophic niche width in the lacertid lizard Psammodromus algirus along a 2,200-m elevational gradient in the Sierra Nevada (SE Spain). The analysis of fecal samples has shown that Orthoptera, Formicidae, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, and Araneae are the main prey, although, according to their abundance in pitfall traps, Formicidae and Coleoptera are rejected by the lizard whereas Orthoptera, Hemiptera, and Araneae are preferred. Prey abundance and diversity increase with elevation and diet subtly varies along with the elevational gradient. The consumption of Coleoptera increases with elevation probably as a consequence of the lizard foraging more in open areas while basking. The electivity for Araneae increases with elevation. Araneae are rejected in the lowlands—where they are relatively abundant—whereas, at high elevation, this lizard positively selects them, despite they being less abundant. The lizard trophic niche width expands with elevation due to concomitant greater prey diversity and hence this lizard feeds on more prey types in highlands. Although no sex difference in diet has been found, the trophic niche is broader in females than males. As a whole, alpine lizards show a trophic niche similar to that found at lower elevations, suggesting that P. algirus is well adapted to the harsh environment found in alpine areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregorio Moreno-Rueda
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Elena Melero
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Senda Reguera
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Francisco J Zamora-Camacho
- Departamento de Biogeografía y Cambio Global, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Inés Álvarez-Benito
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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Lamb AD, Watkins-Colwell GJ, Moore JA, Warren DL, Iglesias TL, Brandley MC, Dornburg A. Endolymphatic Sac Use and Reproductive Activity in the Lesser Antilles Endemic GeckoGonatodes antillensis(Gekkota: Sphaerodactylidae). BULLETIN OF THE PEABODY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2017. [DOI: 10.3374/014.058.0103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jon A. Moore
- Florida Atlantic University, Wilkes Honors College, Jupiter, FL 33458 USA, and Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Fort Pierce, FL 34946 USA
| | - Dan L. Warren
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia, and Biocomplexity and Biodiversity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa 904-0495 Japan
| | - Teresa L. Iglesias
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia, and Physics and Biology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa Prefecture 904-0495, Japan
| | | | - Alex Dornburg
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC 27601 USA
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Bouazza A, Slimani T, El Mouden H, Blouin‐Demers G, Lourdais O. Thermal constraints and the influence of reproduction on thermoregulation in a high‐altitude gecko (
Quedenfeldtia trachyblepharus
). J Zool (1987) 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Bouazza
- Laboratoire Biodiversité et Dynamique des Écosystèmes Faculté des Sciences Semlalia Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech Maroc
| | - T. Slimani
- Laboratoire Biodiversité et Dynamique des Écosystèmes Faculté des Sciences Semlalia Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech Maroc
| | - H. El Mouden
- Laboratoire Biodiversité et Dynamique des Écosystèmes Faculté des Sciences Semlalia Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech Maroc
| | - G. Blouin‐Demers
- Département de Biologie Université d'Ottawa Ottawa Ontario Canada
| | - O. Lourdais
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Villiers en Bois France
- School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe AZ USA
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Ortega Z, Mencía A, Pérez-Mellado V. Are mountain habitats becoming more suitable for generalist than cold-adapted lizards thermoregulation? PeerJ 2016; 4:e2085. [PMID: 27280076 PMCID: PMC4893327 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Mountain lizards are highly vulnerable to climate change, and the continuous warming of their habitats could be seriously threatening their survival. We aim to compare the thermal ecology and microhabitat selection of a mountain lizard, Iberolacerta galani, and a widely distributed lizard, Podarcis bocagei, in a montane area. Both species are currently in close syntopy in the study area, at 1,400 m above the sea level. We determined the precision, accuracy and effectiveness of thermoregulation, and the thermal quality of habitat for both species. We also compared the selection of thermal microhabitats between both species. Results show that I. galani is a cold-adapted thermal specialist with a preferred temperature range of 27.9–29.7 °C, while P. bocagei would be a thermal generalist, with a broader and higher preferred temperature range (30.1–34.5 °C). In addition, I. galani selects rocky substrates while P. bocagei selects warmer soil and leaf litter substrates. The thermal quality of the habitat is higher for P. bocagei than for I. galani. Finally, P. bocagei achieves a significantly higher effectiveness of thermoregulation (0.87) than I. galani (0.80). Therefore, these mountain habitat conditions seem currently more suitable for performance of thermophilic generalist lizards than for cold-specialist lizards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaida Ortega
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Salamanca , Salamanca , Spain
| | - Abraham Mencía
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Salamanca , Salamanca , Spain
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10
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van Schingen M, Ziegler T, Boner M, Streit B, Nguyen TQ, Crook V, Ziegler S. Can isotope markers differentiate between wild and captive reptile populations? A case study based on crocodile lizards ( Shinisaurus crocodilurus ) from Vietnam. Glob Ecol Conserv 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2016.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
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11
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Ortega Z, Mencía A, Pérez-Mellado V. The peak of thermoregulation effectiveness: Thermal biology of the Pyrenean rock lizard, Iberolacerta bonnali (Squamata, Lacertidae). J Therm Biol 2016; 56:77-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2016.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2015] [Revised: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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12
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Delibes M, Blazquez MC, Fedriani JM, Granados A, Soriano L, Delgado A. Isotopic niche variation in a higher trophic level ectotherm: highlighting the role of succulent plants in desert food webs. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0126814. [PMID: 25973609 PMCID: PMC4431868 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis of animal tissues allows description of isotopic niches, whose axes in an n-dimensional space are the isotopic ratios, compared to a standard, of different isotope systems (e.g. δ13C, δ15N). Isotopic niches are informative about where an animal, population or species lives and about what it consumes. Here we describe inter- and intrapopulation isotopic niche (bidimensional δ13C-δ15N space) of the Orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra), an arthropodivorous small lizard, in ten localities of Baja California Sur (Mexico). These localities range from extreme arid to subtropical conditions. Between 13 and 20 individuals were sampled at each locality and 1 cm of tail-tip was collected for isotope analysis. As expected, interpopulation niche width variation was much larger than intrapopulation one. Besides, isotopic variation was not related to age, sex or individual size of lizards. This suggests geographic variation of the isotopic niche was related to changes in the basal resources that fuel the trophic web at each locality. The position of Bayesian isotope ellipses in the δ-space indicated that whiptails in more arid localities were enriched in 13C, suggesting most of the carbon they ingested came from CAM succulent plants (cacti, agaves) and in minor degree in C4 grasses. Contrarily, whiptails in subtropical areas were depleted in 13C, as they received more carbon from C3 scrubs and trees. Localities closer to sea-level tended to be enriched in 15N, but a clear influence of marine subsidies was detected only at individual level. The study contributes to identify the origin and pathways through which energy flows across the trophic webs of North American deserts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Delibes
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Ma Carmen Blazquez
- Centro Investigaciones Biológicas Noroeste, Avda. Politécnico Nacional 195, 23090, La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
- * E-mail:
| | - Jose Maria Fedriani
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH—UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
- Technical University of Lisbon, Institute of Agronomy, Centre for Applied Ecology, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349–017, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Arsenio Granados
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, Camino del Jueves s/n, 18100, Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Laura Soriano
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Antonio Delgado
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, Camino del Jueves s/n, 18100, Armilla, Granada, Spain
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