Impacts of thermal limitation on thermoregulatory behaviour and reproductive success in a lizard
Jennifer E. Halstead A and Lisa E. Schwanz A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: lisa.schwanz@gmail.com
Australian Journal of Zoology 63(4) 225-232 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO15012
Submitted: 13 March 2015 Accepted: 28 July 2015 Published: 20 August 2015
Abstract
Climatic variation can impact populations of ectotherms by altering reproduction, development, and survival. While a warm climate can provide additional thermal opportunities for ectotherms, excessively warm conditions can restrict activity in avoidance of lethal temperatures. However, ectotherms are not necessarily passive to thermal conditions, and often employ flexible thermoregulatory behaviour to accommodate environmental variation. Here, we examine whether the Australian jacky dragon lizard, Amphibolurus muricatus, can compensate for reduced basking opportunity by basking with greater intensity, and how the thermal environment influences reproductive success in females. Overall, there was no compelling evidence for compensatory thermoregulatory behaviour in response to reduced basking opportunity. Moreover, females with reduced thermal opportunities did not produce eggs, although reproductive success was quite low for both groups, so additional factors may have limited reproduction in the colony. This study allows insight into the links between climate and population persistence in wild animals by providing crucial and rare data on how thermal environment impacts reproduction in an egg-laying lizard.
Additional keywords: Agamidae, climate change, dragon lizard, plasticity, reptile, thermoregulation.
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