Parasitemia and elevation as predictors of hemoglobin concentration and antioxidant capacity in two sympatric lizards

Žagar, Anamarija; Simčić, Tatjana; Dajčman, Urban; Megía‐Palma, Rodrigo

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.111233

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Interestingly, Lanser et al (2021) did not find any significant effect of L. occidentalis on the contest behavior of males of S. occidentalis . Chronic infections by blood parasites have been previously associated with physiological and behavioral alteration in lizard hosts (e.g., Schall et al 1982 ; Dunlap and Schall 1995 ; Oppliger et al 1996 ; Žagar et al 2022 ). These effects included that male lizards infected by malarial parasites (gen. Plasmodium ) did not dominate agonistic interactions as often ( Schall and Dearing 1987 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural parasites in conjunction with behavioral and color traits explain male agonistic behaviors in a lizard

Megía‐Palma

Paranjpe²,

Cooper

et al. 2022

Current Zoology

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Male competition conforms to a cost-benefit model, because while aggression may increase reproductive prospects, it can also increase risk of injury. We hypothesize that an additional cost in aggressive males would be an increase of parasite load associated with a high energy investment into sexual competition. Some of these infections, in turn, may downmodulate the level of host aggression via energetic trade-offs. We staged dyadic male contests in the lab to investigate the relationships of multiple parasites with the agonistic behavior of lizard hosts, Sceloporus occidentalis. We also included both color and behavioral traits from opponents in the analyses because (i) color patches of lizards may serve as intraspecific signals used by conspecifics to assess the quality of opponents, and (ii) contests between male lizards fit classical models of escalated aggression, where lizards increase aggression displays in response to an opponent’s behavior. The results conform to our hypothesis because male lizards displayed more pushups when they had more ticks. Moreover, some parasites may modulate the levels of aggression because lizards infected by hematic coccidians performed fewer pushups. Interestingly, lizards also displayed fewer pushups when both chroma and size of the opponent’s blue patch were greater. The results thus also supported the role of the blue patch of S. occidentalis as a sexual armament, because it contributed to the deterrence of aggression from opponent lizards. We revealed that natural parasitic infections in lizard hosts can contribute to their agonistic behavior. We encourage future studies to account for parasites in behavioral tests with lizards.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural parasites in conjunction with behavioral and color traits explain male agonistic behaviors in a lizard

Megía‐Palma

Paranjpe²,

Cooper

et al. 2022

Current Zoology

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“…Mautz, 1980). This has also been found to likely be reflected in variable daily patterns of water loss (Žagar et al, 2022). Considering that many different aspects of biology of a lizard (behaviour, physiology, morphology, foraging) are involved in the regulation of water balance, it is not surprising that a clear signal of adaptation or plasticity across the altitude could not be found in G. galloti .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…For example, hypoxic environments at very high altitudes (>3000 m a.s.l.) are known to increase the production of reactive oxygen species and trigger cell oxidative stress reactions (Gaur et al, 2021), which induces higher activity rates of antioxidant mechanisms to buffer reactive oxygen species and prevent cell damage (Zamocky et al, 2008). Despite these indications of metabolic stress in high altitude, it is still unclear if this is reflected in lower lizard survival, which is a complex question due to many other confounding pressures (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coping with the multitude of abiotic factors that vary in these contrasting habitats (e.g. oxygen pressure, temperature, relative humidity, ultraviolet radiation), often within short geographic ranges, requires a suite of behavioural and physiological responses such as optimization of respiration, thermoregulation, physiology or gut microbiota (González‐Morales et al, 2021; Howald & Hoppeler, 2003; Quagliariello et al, 2019; Storz & Scott, 2019; Žagar et al, 2018, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional responses in a lizard along a 3.5‐km altitudinal gradient

Serén,

Megía‐Palma,

Simčič

et al. 2023

Journal of Biogeography

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AimPhysiological and metabolic performance are key mediators of the functional response of species to environmental change. Few environments offer such a multifaceted array of stressors as high‐altitude habitats, which differ markedly in temperature, water availability, UV radiation and oxygen pressure compared to low‐altitude habitats. Species that inhabit large altitudinal gradients are thus excellent models to study how organisms respond to environmental variation.LocationTenerife island, Canary Islands archipelago (Spain).TaxonTenerife lizard (Gallotia galloti, Lacertidae).MethodsWe integrated data on age structure, thermal and hydric regulatory behaviour and four metabolic and stress‐related biomarkers for an insular lizard that inhabits an extreme altitudinal range (sea level to 3700 m a.s.l.), to understand how an ectotherms' age, ecophysiology and metabolism can be affected by extreme environmental variation.ResultsWe found marked differences in metabolic stress markers associated with altitude (particularly in the abundance of carbonyl metabolites and relative telomere length), but without a linear pattern along the altitudinal cline. Contrary to expectations, longer telomeres and lower carbonyl content were detected at the highest altitude, suggesting reduced stress in these populations. Evaporative water loss differed between populations but did not follow a linear altitudinal gradient. Lizard age structure or thermal physiological performance did not markedly change across different altitudes. Mixed signals in life‐history and thermal ecology across populations and altitude suggest complex responses to variable conditions across altitude in this species.Main ConclusionsOur integrative study of multiple functional traits demonstrated that adaptation to highly divergent environmental conditions in this lizard is potentially linked to an interplay between plasticity and local adaptation variably associated with different functional traits.

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Analysis of subcellular energy metabolism in five Lacertidae lizards across varied environmental conditions

Žagar,

Dajčman,

Megía-Palma

et al. 2024

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular &

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Parasitemia and elevation as predictors of hemoglobin concentration and antioxidant capacity in two sympatric lizards

Cited by 3 publications

References 84 publications

Natural parasites in conjunction with behavioral and color traits explain male agonistic behaviors in a lizard

Natural parasites in conjunction with behavioral and color traits explain male agonistic behaviors in a lizard

Functional responses in a lizard along a 3.5‐km altitudinal gradient

Analysis of subcellular energy metabolism in five Lacertidae lizards across varied environmental conditions

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