Thermal biology of Liolaemus occipitalis (Squamata, Tropiduridae) in the coastal sand dunes of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Bujes, Clóvis Souza; Verrastro, Laura

doi:10.1590/s1519-69842006000500021

Cited by 30 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(20 reference statements)

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“…These mean T b are relatively similar to those of other populations/species in the genus Liolaemus in Brazil (e.g., L. occipitalis -30.9°C, Bujes and Verrastro 2006;L. lutzae -33.9°C, Rocha 1995;L.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…In general, for Brazilian Liolaemus species, there is a significant influence of local thermal environment on mean T b (e.g., Rocha 1995;Bujes and Verrastro 2006;Maia-Carneiro et al 2012). As demonstrated for other sedentary foraging lizards (e.g., Kiefer et al 2005), in our study T a was the environmental temperature that explained the main part of lizard T b , but with T s and wind intensity being also important.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…Behavioral traits are straightly related to environmental conditions, since these organisms actively seek for favorable thermal environments to achieve the preferential body temperature (e.g., Avery 1982;Rocha and Vrcibradic 1996;Menezes et al 2000;Kerr and Bull 2004;Kiefer et al 2007). Therefore, thermal activity of lizards can be influenced by variations throughout the day in environmental factors such as solar radiation, air and substrate temperatures, and wind intensity (Adolph and Porter 1993; Bujes and Verrastro 2006;Rocha et al 2009a;Menezes and Rocha 2011;Maia-Carneiro et al 2012). Thus, variations in the body temperature of lizards would be an adaptation of populations to their local thermal environment, changing according to environmental constraints and opportunities for thermoregulation in each location (Hertz et al 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Thermal ecology of five remaining populations of an endangered lizard (Liolaemus lutzae) in different restinga habitats in Brazil

et al. 2015

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We studied the thermal ecology of five populations (Marambaia, Barra de Maricá, Praia Grande, Praia do Foguete and Praia do Peró) of the endemic and endangered liolaemid lizard Liolaemus lutzae along its geographic range in coastal Rio de Janeiro state. Our aims were to analyze to what extent populations differ in mean body temperature and to evaluate the effect of some local environmental factors (such as air and substrate temperatures in the microhabitat and wind intensity) on lizard body temperature. Lizards were manually collected during its period of activity (7 to 18 h) from late February to early April 2012 (rainy season), always under similar weather conditions (sunny days). The body and environmental temperatures as well as wind intensity were taken immediately after capture at the same point where each lizard was initially sighted. The mean body temperature of L. lutzae in activity (all populations pooled) was 33.2±2.5°C (range=22.5-40.2; N=242) and varied from 31.5±2.6°C (range=25.4-36.2; N=34) to 34.0±2.2°C (range=29.1-39.2; N=67), depending of the locality. However, after removing the effect of the local thermal environment no interpopulational differences remained, suggesting a relative conservativeness in body temperature for the species. Temperatures of air and substrate interact to influence body temperature of individuals locally. Air temperature decreased with the increase of wind intensity, suggesting an indirect effect of wind in lizard body temperatures. Sex or body size did not affect lizard body temperature.Mean and maximum air temperatures in Rio de Janeiro municipality show an increase since 1930's.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Thermal ecology of five remaining populations of an endangered lizard (Liolaemus lutzae) in different restinga habitats in Brazil

et al. 2015

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“…This will allow the lizard, during most of its period of activity, to keep temperatures relatively lower than those registered when exposed directly to sunlight. In the study performed by BUJES & VERRASTRO (2006), an ecritic temperature of approximatelly 31 o C was observed for this species and was significantly differnt from the recorded mean annual air temperature (25.74 o C). It is also a strategy to avoid the risk of predation when it is in an open area.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 53%

Annual activity of the lizard Liolaemus occipitalis (Squamata, Liolaemidae) in the coastal sand dunes of southern Brazil

Bujes

Verrastro

2008

Iheringia, Sér. Zool.

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ABSTRACT. The activity pattern of the small sand lizard, Liolaemus occipitalis Boulenger, 1885, was investigated in the coastal sand dunes at Quintão beach (Palmares do Sul, southern, Brazil), between September 1998 and August 1999. The results showed that L. occipitalis is active all along the year, but with variations in its daily and seasonal activity patterns associated to climatic changes in the habitat. Lizard activity pattern was distributed as follows: under the sand, burrowed (73%), under vegetation (14%), dislocation (7%) and basking (6%). Mean habitat temperatures (air and substrate) were significantly different. The results indicate that L. occipitalis is a thigmothermic and heliothermic species that regulates its body temperature through behavioral mechanisms, and that thermoregulation is mainly associated with substrate. KEYWORDS.Liolaemus, microhabitat use, sand dunes. RESUMO. Atividade anual do lagarto Liolaemus occipitalis (Squamata, Liolaemidae) nas dunas costeiras do sul do Brasil.Este trabalho teve por objetivo o estudo da atividade anual do lagarto Liolaemus occipitalis Boulenger, 1885. O estudo se desenvolveu nas dunas costeiras da praia de Quintão (Palmares do Sul, sul do Brasil), no período de setembro de 1998 a agosto de 1999. Os resultados demonstraram que L. occipitalis é ativo ao longo de todo o ano com variações diárias e sazonais de acordo com as mudanças climáticas do habitat. A atividade do lagarto se distribuiu da seguinte forma: sob a areia (73%), sob a vegetação (14%), deslocando-se (7%) e exposto ao sol (6%). As temperaturas medias do hábitat (ar e substrato) diferiram significativamente. Os resultados indicaram que L. occipitalis é tigmotérmico e heliotérmico, regulando a sua temperatura corporal através de mecanismos comportamentais, estando a mesma relacionada principalmente com a temperatura do substrato. PAVALVRAS-CHAVE.Liolaemus, uso do microhabitat, dunas costeiras.

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“…10,no. 4 Liolaemus occipitalis Boulenguer, 1885 is a small sand-dune-lizard associated to coastal habitats and its geographic distribution restricted to Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina States, southern Brazil (Bujes & Verrastro 2008), and Uruguay (Verrastro et al 2006). It is primarily an insectivorous reptile that reproduces between September and March (Verrastro & Krause 1994).…”

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confidence: 99%

Playing dead to stay alive: death-feigning in Liolaemus occipitalis (Squamata: Liolaemidae)

et al. 2010

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Predation is the major selective force that drives the development of a series of defense mechanisms by the species. These mechanisms are efficient in that it limits the ability of predators to detect, recognize and subdue their prey. In lizards for example, the tail loss and locomotor escape are the most common defensive behavior reported on the literature. Additionally, in response to external stimuli, some lizards exhibit a peculiar defensive behavior: death-feigning or thanatosis. Here we describe the first record of death-feigning in a population of Liolaemus occipitalis in a coastal sand dune habitat in Southernmost Brazil. A total of 86 individuals were tested. During handling 75.6% of lizards feigned death. The duration of this behavior was longer when the observer remained closer to the lizards, suggesting the ability of L. occipitalis to evaluate the predation risk. Resumo: A pressão exercida pela predação é a principal força seletiva que direciona o estabelecimento de uma série de mecanismos de defesa por parte das espécies. Esses mecanismos são eficientes na medida em que limitam a capacidade dos predadores em detectar, reconhecer ou subjugar suas presas. Em lagartos, por exemplo, os comportamentos defensivos mais frequentemente citados na literatura são a autotomia caudal e a fuga. Além disso, em resposta a estímulos externos, alguns lagartos podem exibir um comportamento peculiar: fingem-se de mortos (tanatose). Neste estudo descrevemos o primeiro registro de tanatose em uma população de Liolaemus occipitalis em área de dunas costeiras no extremo Sul do Brasil. MethodsThe data presented in this study was collected between November 2009 and January 2010 in the municipality of Rio Grande, RS, in an area known as Balneário Cassino, southernmost Brazil (32º 07' 54.65'' -32º 17' 35.07'' S and 52º 06' 38.80'' -52º 20' 53.36'' W) located at sea level. The area consists of well preserved wet habitats formed by meadows with a mosaic of dunes, sand dune vegetation and temporary lagoons. The climate is classified as subtemperate (Maluf 2000), with an average annual maximum temperature of 23.3 °C and average annual minimum temperature of 12.7 ºC. The seasons are well defined, with rainfall homogeneously distributed along the year and averaging 1252 mm between 1931and1990 (INMET 2010). During field surveys of the regional herpetofauna, we captured 86 individuals of Liolaemus occipitalis using pitfall traps with drift fences (Brasileiro et al. 2005). The lizards remained a maximum of eight hours in buckets containing water and shelter to protect them against the sunlight, minimizing the stress on captured animals. All lizards were handled carefully during measurements (body size and mass), sex determination, and assessment of the reproductive condition of females by palpation (Fitch 1987). While being held, some individuals feigned death (Figure 1). The animals that exhibited this behavior were immediately placed on the ground and observed from two distances, 1 and 7 m, whose order was set at random....

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Thermal biology of Liolaemus occipitalis (Squamata, Tropiduridae) in the coastal sand dunes of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Cited by 30 publications

References 33 publications

Thermal ecology of five remaining populations of an endangered lizard (Liolaemus lutzae) in different restinga habitats in Brazil

Thermal ecology of five remaining populations of an endangered lizard (Liolaemus lutzae) in different restinga habitats in Brazil

Annual activity of the lizard Liolaemus occipitalis (Squamata, Liolaemidae) in the coastal sand dunes of southern Brazil

Playing dead to stay alive: death-feigning in Liolaemus occipitalis (Squamata: Liolaemidae)

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