The variance of incubation temperatures does not affect the phenotype of hatchlings in a colubrid snake, Xenochrophis piscator

Lu, Hong-Liang; Hu, Rui-Bin; Ji, Xiang

doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2008.12.002

Cited by 15 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Thus, most probably, the insensitivity of embryogenesis to the variance of incubation temperatures is a mechanism evolving in S. modesta that allows females to maximize their reproductive benefits at relatively low costs. A similar conclusion has also been drawn in other squamate reptiles such as the Mongolian racerunners Eremias argus (Hao et al, 2006), the many-lined sun skink Mabuya multifasciata (Ji et al, 2007), the Chinese cobra Naja atra (Lin et al, 2008) and the checkered keelback snake Xenochrophis piscator (Lu et al, 2009) where the thermal variance has no direct role in shaping the phenotype of hatchlings. In M. multifasciata, a warm-climate viviparous skink, gravid females do regulate body temperature more precisely and, thus, maintain more stable body temperatures than do nongravid females and adult males, not because stable maternal temperatures result in the optimization of offspring phenotypes but because the range (29−32 °C) of temperatures optimal for embryonic development is narrow in the skink (Ji et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

“…So, why did hatchlings from the N5 treatment morphologically differ from their counterparts from the N1-4 treatments? The answer probably lies in that, as in other reptiles (Lu et al, 2009 and references therein), prolonged exposure of S. modesta eggs to extreme temperatures can substantially modify hatchling morphological phenotypes. Mean values for the thermal variance and the proportion of incubation temperatures higher than 28 °C were both greatest in the N5 treatment (Table 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, fluctuating temperatures influence hatchling phenotypes differently than constant temperatures with the same mean temperature in some species (Shine et al, 1997;Ashmore and Janzen, 2003;Shine, 2004;Mullins and Janzen, 2006;Les et al, 2007), but not in others (Demuth, 2001;Chen et al, 2003;Hao et al, 2006;Lin et al, 2008;Lu et al, 2009). As the effects demonstrated in fluctuating-temperature incubation could be due to the fact that thermal fluctuations result in exposure of embryos to deleterious extreme temperatures (Lu et al, 2009;Li et al, 2012), this inconsistency raises a question that forms the basis of this study: Does the thermal variance per se plays a key role in shaping the phenotype of hatchlings, and thus constitute a significant selective force for viviparity? If so, we may hypothesize that the phenotype of hatchlings should be sensitive to the thermal variance even if developing embryos are never exposed to extreme temperatures.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Does the variance of incubation temperatures always constitute a significant selective force for origin of reptilian viviparity?

Wang

Chen

et al. 2012

Current Zoology

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To test the hypothesis that the variance of incubation temperature may have constituted a significant selective force for reptilian viviparity, we incubated eggs of the slender forest skink Scincella modesta in five thermally different natural nests and at two constant temperatures (18 °C and 21 °C). Our manipulation of incubation temperature had significant effects on incubation length and several hatchling traits (snout-vent length, tail length, fore-limb length, and sprint speed), but not on hatching success and other hatchling traits examined (body mass, head size, and hind-limb length). Incubation length was nonlinearly sensitive to temperature, but it was not correlated with the thermal variance when holding the thermal mean constant. The 18 °C treatment not only produced smaller sized hatchlings but also resulted in decreased sprint speed. Eggs in the nest with the greatest proportion of temperatures higher than 28 °C also produced smaller sized hatchlings. None of the hatchling traits examined was affected by the thermal variance. Thermal fluctuations did result in longer incubation times, but females would benefit little from maintaining stable body temperatures or selecting thermally stable nests in terms of the reduced incubation length. Our data show that the mean rather than the variance of temperatures has a key role in influencing incubation length and hatchling phenotypes, and thus do not support the hypothesis tested [Current Zoology 58 (6): 812-819, 2012].

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Does the variance of incubation temperatures always constitute a significant selective force for origin of reptilian viviparity?

Wang

Chen

et al. 2012

Current Zoology

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“…When embryos have been incubated at fluctuating temperatures, an increase in the mean temperature always reduced the duration of incubation Shine 1996, 1998;Elphick and Shine 1998;Oualls and Andrews 1999;Shine 1999;Lu et al 2009). Although warmer conditions increase the rate of development, they do not necessarily increase the energetic cost of development.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energetics of Lizard Embryos at Fluctuating Temperatures

Oufiero

Angilletta

2010

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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Most animals experience fluctuations in temperature during development, but studies of energetics have ignored the potential influence of these thermal fluctuations. We measured the energetics of Sceloporus undulatus lizard embryos under two conditions that differ realistically in the mean and variance of temperature (diel cycles of 20 degrees -30 degrees and 20 degrees -34 degrees C). Our goal was to determine whether embryos in warm nests would expend more energy to develop than embryos in cool nests. We quantified metabolic rates during development, durations of incubation, and sizes at hatching. To describe changes in metabolic rate during incubation, we used the Akaike Information Criterion to determine the best statistical model among a set of six candidates. Once the best model was determined, the energetic cost of development was estimated by integrating metabolic rates over the period of incubation. We found that some form of sigmoidal model provided the best fit to the data for the majority of embryos (75%). Although embryos in the warmer treatment hatched earlier, the cost of development ( approximately 1.6 kJ) did not differ significantly between embryos in the two treatments. This estimate of energy expenditure at fluctuating temperatures accords with previous estimates of energy expenditure at constant temperatures, suggesting that embryonic metabolism under realistic thermal conditions does not differ substantially from that under constant conditions.

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“…Studies of incubating reptile eggs at temperatures fluctuating sinusoidally or under temperature regimes mimicking natural conditions have shown that thermal fluctuations affect the phenotype of offspring in some species, but not in others (Lu et al. 2009 and references therein).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluctuations in incubation temperature affect incubation duration but not morphology, locomotion and growth of hatchlings in the sand lizard Lacerta agilis (Lacertidae)

Zhou

Ding

et al. 2011

Acta Zoologica

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Li, H., Zhou, Z.‐S., Ding, G.‐H. and Ji, X. 2011. Fluctuations in incubation temperature affect incubation duration but not morphology, locomotion and growth of hatchlings in the sand lizard Lacerta agilis (Lacertidae). —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 00: 1–8. Studies looking for potential effects of temperature and temperature fluctuations on phenotypic traits of reptile hatchlings have shown species variation, but have not always allowed a distinction between effects of fluctuation per se and temperature extremes themselves. To examine whether incubation temperature fluctuation has a key role in influencing the phenotype of offspring, we incubated eggs of the sand lizard Lacerta agilis at one of the four temperature regimes (27, 27 ± 2, 27 ± 4 and 27 ± 6 °C). We found that: (1) hatchlings incubated under the four temperature regimes did not differ from each other in any of the morphological and physiological traits examined; (2) interactions that included temperature treatment did not affect any trait examined; (3) the mean incubation length was longer in the 27 ± 6 °C treatment than in the other three treatments; and (4) female hatchlings were shorter in head length and width but longer in snout‐vent length as well as abdomen length than males derived from the same‐sized egg. Our data show that both the type and the magnitude of temperature variation can affect incubation length. We found no evidence for phenotypic divergence in responses to temperature fluctuations during incubation and therefore suggest that temperature variation does not affect the phenotype of hatchlings in L. agilis.

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The variance of incubation temperatures does not affect the phenotype of hatchlings in a colubrid snake, Xenochrophis piscator

Cited by 15 publications

References 16 publications

Does the variance of incubation temperatures always constitute a significant selective force for origin of reptilian viviparity?

Does the variance of incubation temperatures always constitute a significant selective force for origin of reptilian viviparity?

Energetics of Lizard Embryos at Fluctuating Temperatures

Fluctuations in incubation temperature affect incubation duration but not morphology, locomotion and growth of hatchlings in the sand lizard Lacerta agilis (Lacertidae)

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