Temporal variation in thermal plasticity in a free-ranging subalpine lizard

Drummond, Emily M.; Senior, Anna F.; Hamilton, Katelyn; Gardner, Michael G.; While, Geoffrey M.; Chapple, David G.

doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102623

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Furthermore, the role of plasticity in shaping phenotypes can manifest across different temporal scales. For example, trait differences due to plasticity between populations in the wild could be the results of developmental plasticity (Gomez‐Mestre et al, 2010), plasticity in thermoregulatory behavior (e.g., basking preference; Adolph, 1990; Caldwell et al, 2017; Kearney et al, 2009; Refsnider et al, 2019), or reversible plasticity (thermal acclimation or heat hardening; Gilbert & Miles, 2019a; Ryan & Gunderson, 2020; Drummond et al, 2020; Phillips et al, 2016). Plasticity in traits at these different temporal scales will interact with selection in complicated ways, potentially either facilitating or hindering the evolutionary response to selection (reviewed in Catullo et al, 2019; Levis & Pfennig, 2016).…”

Section: Evolution and Plasticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal adaptation revisited: How conserved are thermal traits of reptiles and amphibians?

et al. 2020

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Ectothermic animals, such as amphibians and reptiles, are particularly sensitive to rapidly warming global temperatures. One response in these organisms may be to evolve aspects of their thermal physiology. If this response is adaptive and can occur on the appropriate time scale, it may facilitate population or species persistence in the changed environments. However, thermal physiological traits have classically been thought to evolve too slowly to keep pace with environmental change in longer‐lived vertebrates. Even as empirical work of the mid‐20th century offers mixed support for conservatism in thermal physiological traits, the generalization of low evolutionary potential in thermal traits is commonly invoked. Here, we revisit this hypothesis to better understand the mechanisms guiding the timing and patterns of physiological evolution. Characterizing the potential interactions among evolution, plasticity, behavior, and ontogenetic shifts in thermal physiology is critical for accurate prediction of how organisms will respond to our rapidly warming world. Recent work provides evidence that thermal physiological traits are not as evolutionarily rigid as once believed, with many examples of divergence in several aspects of thermal physiology at multiple phylogenetic scales. However, slow rates of evolution are often still observed, particularly at the warm end of the thermal performance curve. Furthermore, the context‐specificity of many responses makes broad generalizations about the potential evolvability of traits tenuous. We outline potential factors and considerations that require closer scrutiny to understand and predict reptile and amphibian evolutionary responses to climate change, particularly regarding the underlying genetic architecture facilitating or limiting thermal evolution.

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Section: Evolution and Plasticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal adaptation revisited: How conserved are thermal traits of reptiles and amphibians?

et al. 2020

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“…The distance to water was measured for water bodies within 10 m of the quadrat. The temperature of the spot the skink was observed was recorded using a pocket laser digital temperature (DIGITECH QM-7218; accuracy AE 1.0°C, Chukwuka et al 2019;Drummond et al 2020).…”

Section: Microhabitat Characterisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decline in lizard species diversity, abundance and ectoparasite load across an elevational gradient in the Australian alps

et al. 2020

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The rapid changes in altitude, and associated habitat, of mountain ecosystems make them ideal natural laboratories for testing the effect of environmental heterogeneity on species assemblage. Our understanding of the sensitivity of Australian reptiles to elevational clines is limited. We examined lizard distribution across three elevation zones (montane, subalpine and alpine), spanning from 900 to 1840 m above sea level, in the Australian alps. We aimed to examine how elevation influences species diversity and abundance, and ectoparasite load, and whether species alter their habitat use amongst different elevational zones. Active searches were conducted across the elevation zones to identify lizard community structure (at least 16 species) across elevational zones, along with skink habitat preferences and the ectoparasite load. Skink diversity and abundance were negatively correlated with increased elevation. The alpine zone had significantly lower diversity and abundance of skinks. Habitat use differed amongst both elevations and species. Ectoparasite prevalence was also significantly diminished in the alpine zone. Ectoparasites only infected a subset of the skink community, with ectoparasite load increasing as the active season progressed. This study provides evidence of the complex interplay between elevation and species diversity, as well as the differences in ectoparasite pressure along elevational gradients in the Australian alps.

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“…Seasonal acclimatization was found in all traits studied (metabolic rate, preferred body temperature, and evaporative water loss) in a montane lizard in South Africa (Basson & Clusella‐Trullas, 2015). In a study of a high‐elevation skink, Drummond et al (2020) found thermal plasticity with respect to the critical thermal minimum but not the critical thermal maximum. South African reed frogs exhibit physiological plasticity with respect to thermal tolerance and metabolism, but not evaporative water loss (Davies et al, 2015).…”

Section: Critiquementioning

confidence: 99%

Higher metabolic plasticity in temperate compared to tropical lizards suggests increased resilience to climate change: Comment

Christian,

Bedford,

Weitzman

2023

Ecological Monographs

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Temporal variation in thermal plasticity in a free-ranging subalpine lizard

Cited by 10 publications

References 68 publications

Thermal adaptation revisited: How conserved are thermal traits of reptiles and amphibians?

Thermal adaptation revisited: How conserved are thermal traits of reptiles and amphibians?

Decline in lizard species diversity, abundance and ectoparasite load across an elevational gradient in the Australian alps

Higher metabolic plasticity in temperate compared to tropical lizards suggests increased resilience to climate change: Comment

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