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Stellatelli OA, Bonavita MI, Victorel C, Gómez Alés R, Moreno Azócar DL, Block C, Cruz FB. Thermo-physiological changes and reproductive investment in a liolaemid lizard at the extreme of the slow-fast continuum. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247506. [PMID: 38826150 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Gravid female lizards often experience reduced thermal preferences and impaired locomotor performance. These changes have been attributed to the physical burden of the clutch, but some authors have suggested that they may be due to physiological adjustments. We compared the thermal biology and locomotor performance of the lizard Liolaemus wiegmannii 1 week before and 1 week after oviposition. We found that gravid females had a thermal preference 1°C lower than that of non-gravid females. This was accompanied by a change in the thermal dependence of maximum running speed. The thermal optimum for locomotor performance was 2.6°C lower before oviposition than after. At relatively low temperatures (22 and 26°C), running speeds of females before oviposition were up to 31% higher than for females after oviposition. However, at temperatures above 26°C, females achieved similar maximum running speeds (∼1.5 m s-1) regardless of reproductive stage. The magnitude of the changes in thermal parameters and locomotor performance of L. wiegmannii females was independent of relative clutch mass (clutches weighed up to 89% of post-oviposition body mass). This suggests that the changes are not simply due to the clutch mass, but are also due to physiological adjustments. Liolaemus wiegmannii females simultaneously adjusted their own physiology in a short period in order to improve locomotor performance and allocated energy for embryonic development during late gravid stage. Our findings have implications for understanding the mechanisms underlying life histories of lizards on the fast extreme of the slow-fast continuum, where physiological exhaustion could play an important role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar A Stellatelli
- Grupo Vertebrados, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, B7602AYJ Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mauro I Bonavita
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y ́ Técnicas - Universidad Nacional del Comahue, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Candela Victorel
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y ́ Técnicas - Universidad Nacional del Comahue, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Rodrigo Gómez Alés
- Gabinete Diversidad y Biología de Vertebrados del Árido (DIBIOVA), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, J5402DCS San Juan, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET San Juan, J5400ARL San Juan, San Juan, Argentina
| | - Débora L Moreno Azócar
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y ́ Técnicas - Universidad Nacional del Comahue, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Carolina Block
- Grupo Vertebrados, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, B7602AYJ Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Félix B Cruz
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y ́ Técnicas - Universidad Nacional del Comahue, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
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2
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Miloch D, Cecchetto NR, Lescano JN, Leynaud GC, Perotti MG. Is thermal sensitivity affected by predation risk? A case study in tadpoles from ephemeral environments. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 341:400-409. [PMID: 38356256 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Changes in environmental temperature may induce variations in thermal tolerance and sensitivity in ectotherm organisms. These variations generate plastic responses that can be analyzed by examining their Thermal Performance Curves (TPCs). Additionally, some performance traits, like locomotion, could be affected by other factors such as biological interactions (e.g., predator-prey interaction). Here, we evaluate if the risk of predation modifies TPCs in Mendoza four-eyed frog (Pleurodema nebulosum, Burmeister, 1861) and Guayapa's four-eyed frog (Pleurodema guayapae, Barrio, 1964), two amphibian species that occur in ephemeral ponds in arid environments. We measured thermal tolerances and maximum swimming velocity at six different temperatures in tadpoles under three situations: control, exposure to predator chemical cues, and exposure to conspecific alarm cues. TPCs were fitted using General Additive Mixed Models. We found that curves of tadpoles at risk of predation differed from those of control mainly in thermal sensitivity parameters. Our work confirms the importance of biotic interactions have in thermal physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Miloch
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas, y Naturales, Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
- Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Nicolas R Cecchetto
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Julián N Lescano
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas, y Naturales, Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
- Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Gerardo C Leynaud
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas, y Naturales, Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
- Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - María Gabriela Perotti
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
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Tatu A, Dutta S, Thaker M. Hotter deserts and the impending challenges for the Spiny-tailed Lizard in India. Biol Open 2024; 13:bio060150. [PMID: 38466074 PMCID: PMC11007731 DOI: 10.1242/bio.060150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Ectotherms are particularly vulnerable to climate change, especially those living in extreme areas, such as deserts, where species are already thermally constrained. Using the vulnerable herbivorous lizard Saara hardwickii as a model system, we used a multi-pronged approach to understand the thermal ecology of a desert agamid and potential impacts of rising temperatures. Our data included field-based measures of operative temperatures, body temperatures, and activity, as well as lab-based measures of thermal limits, preferences, and sprint speed. As expected, the temperature dependence of locomotor performance and foraging activity were different, and in the worst-case global warming scenario (SSP5-8.5), potential sprint speed may decrease by up to 14.5% and foraging activity may decrease by up to 43.5% by 2099. Burrows are essential thermal refuges, and global warming projections suggest that S. hardwickii may be restricted to burrows for up to 9 h per day by 2099, which would greatly limit critical activities, like foraging and seeking mating opportunities. Overall, we show that key information on thermal ecology, including temperature-sensitive behaviours in the wild, is necessary to understand the multiple ways in which increasing temperatures may influence ectothermic vertebrates, especially for species like S. hardwickii that are already vulnerable to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avichal Tatu
- Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248001, India
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560012, India
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Sutirtha Dutta
- Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248001, India
| | - Maria Thaker
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560012, India
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Padilla P, Herrel A, Denoël M. May future climate change promote the invasion of the marsh frog? An integrative thermo-physiological study. Oecologia 2023:10.1007/s00442-023-05402-0. [PMID: 37351628 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05402-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Climate change and invasive species are two major drivers of biodiversity loss and their interaction may lead to unprecedented further loss. Invasive ectotherms can be expected to tolerate temperature variation because of a broad thermal tolerance and may even benefit from warmer temperatures in their new ranges that better match their thermal preference. Multi-trait studies provide a valuable approach to elucidate the influence of temperature on the invasion process and offer insights into how climatic factors may facilitate or hinder the spread of invasive ectotherms. We here used marsh frogs, Pelophylax ridibundus, a species that is invading large areas of Western Europe but whose invasive potential has been underestimated. We measured the maximal and minimal temperatures to sustain physical activity, the preferred temperature, and the thermal dependence of their stamina and jumping performance in relation to the environmental temperatures observed in their invasive range. Our results showed that marsh frogs can withstand body temperatures that cover 100% of the annual temperature variation in the pond they live in and 77% of the observed current annual air temperature variation. Their preferred body temperature and performance optima were higher than the average temperature in their pond and the average air temperature experienced under the shade. These data suggest that invasive marsh frogs may benefit from a warmer climate. Broad thermal tolerances, combined with high thermal preferences and traits maximised at high temperatures, may allow this species to expand their activity period and colonise underexploited shaded habitat, thereby promoting their invasion success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Padilla
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians (LECA), Freshwater and Oceanic science Unit of reSearch (FOCUS), University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N., Paris, France.
| | - Anthony Herrel
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N., Paris, France
- Evolutionary Morphology of Vertebrates, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Mathieu Denoël
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians (LECA), Freshwater and Oceanic science Unit of reSearch (FOCUS), University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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Terlau JF, Brose U, Boy T, Pawar S, Pinsky M, Hirt MR. Predicting movement speed of beetles from body size and temperature. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:27. [PMID: 37194049 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00389-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Movement facilitates and alters species interactions, the resulting food web structures, species distribution patterns, community structures and survival of populations and communities. In the light of global change, it is crucial to gain a general understanding of how movement depends on traits and environmental conditions. Although insects and notably Coleoptera represent the largest and a functionally important taxonomic group, we still know little about their general movement capacities and how they respond to warming. Here, we measured the exploratory speed of 125 individuals of eight carabid beetle species across different temperatures and body masses using automated image-based tracking. The resulting data revealed a power-law scaling relationship of average movement speed with body mass. By additionally fitting a thermal performance curve to the data, we accounted for the unimodal temperature response of movement speed. Thereby, we yielded a general allometric and thermodynamic equation to predict exploratory speed from temperature and body mass. This equation predicting temperature-dependent movement speed can be incorporated into modeling approaches to predict trophic interactions or spatial movement patterns. Overall, these findings will help improve our understanding of how temperature effects on movement cascade from small to large spatial scales as well as from individual to population fitness and survival across communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jördis F Terlau
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany.
| | - Ulrich Brose
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Thomas Boy
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Samraat Pawar
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot, UK
| | - Malin Pinsky
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Myriam R Hirt
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
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CECCHETTO NICOLÁSR, MEDINA SUSANAM, BAUDINO FLORENCIA, IBARGÜENGOYTÍA NORAR. Wintertime tales: How the lizard Liolaemus lineomaculatus endures the temperate cold climate of Patagonia, Argentina. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2022; 94:e20210758. [DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202220210758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - SUSANA M. MEDINA
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CIEMEP-CONICET), Argentina
| | - FLORENCIA BAUDINO
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente, Argentina
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7
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Stellatelli OA, Vega LE, Block C, Rocca C, Bellagamba P, Dajil JE, Cruz FB. Latitudinal pattern of the thermal sensitivity of running speed in the endemic lizard Liolaemus multimaculatus. Integr Zool 2021; 17:619-637. [PMID: 34496145 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Physiological performance in lizards may be affected by climate across latitudinal or altitudinal gradients. In the coastal dune barriers in central-eastern Argentina, the annual maximum environmental temperature decreases up to 2°C from low to high latitudes, while the mean relative humidity of the air decreases from 50% to 25%. Liolaemus multimaculatus, a lizard in the family Liolaemidae, is restricted to these coastal dunes. We investigated the locomotor performance of the species at 6 different sites distributed throughout its range in these dune barriers. We inquired whether locomotor performance metrics were sensitive to the thermal regime attributable to latitude. The thermal performance breadth increased from 7% to 82% with latitude, due to a decrease in its critical thermal minimum of up to 5°C at higher latitudes. Lizards from high latitude sites showed a thermal optimum, that is, the body temperature at which maximum speed is achieved, up to 4°C lower than that of lizards from the low latitude. At relatively low temperatures, the maximum running speed of high-latitude individuals was faster than that of low-latitude ones. Thermal parameters of locomotor performance were labile, decreasing as a function of latitude. These results show populations of L. multimaculatus adjust thermal physiology to cope with local climatic variations. This suggests that thermal sensitivity responds to the magnitude of latitudinal fluctuations in environmental temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Aníbal Stellatelli
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Laura E Vega
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Carolina Block
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Camila Rocca
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | | | - Juan Esteban Dajil
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Félix Benjamín Cruz
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA), Universidad Nacional del Comahue - CONICET, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
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Vulnerability to climate change of a microendemic lizard species from the central Andes. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11653. [PMID: 34079000 PMCID: PMC8172825 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91058-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the rapid loss of biodiversity as consequence of climate change, greater knowledge of ecophysiological and natural history traits are crucial to determine which environmental factors induce stress and drive the decline of threatened species. Liolaemus montanezi (Liolaemidae), a xeric-adapted lizard occurring only in a small geographic range in west-central Argentina, constitutes an excellent model for studies on the threats of climate change on such microendemic species. We describe field data on activity patterns, use of microhabitat, behavioral thermoregulation, and physiology to produce species distribution models (SDMs) based on climate and ecophysiological data. Liolaemus montanezi inhabits a thermally harsh environment which remarkably impacts their activity and thermoregulation. The species shows a daily bimodal pattern of activity and mostly occupies shaded microenvironments. Although the individuals thermoregulate at body temperatures below their thermal preference they avoid high-temperature microenvironments probably to avoid overheating. The population currently persists because of the important role of the habitat physiognomy and not because of niche tracking, seemingly prevented by major rivers that form boundaries of their geographic range. We found evidence of habitat opportunities in the current range and adjacent areas that will likely remain suitable to the year 2070, reinforcing the relevance of the river floodplain for the species’ avoidance of extinction.
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