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Waitin' on a sunny day: Factors affecting lizard body temperature while hiding from predators
Marco Sannolo1, Raquel Ponti2, Miguel A Carretero3
1CIBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, Vairão, 4485-661, Vila do Conde, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, R. Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
Journal of Thermal Biology
|August 31, 2019
Summary
Lizards hide from predators but may lose body heat. This study found that temperate lizards choose warmer refuges to minimize cooling, indicating they evaluate thermal conditions before hiding.
Area of Science:
- Zoology
- Ecology
- Physiology
Background:
- Animals employ antipredator strategies to balance survival and energetic costs.
- Ectotherms, like lizards, rely on external heat and thermoregulate for optimal performance.
- Hiding in refuges can lead to heat loss for ectotherms in temperate climates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if hiding impacts body temperature in temperate lizards.
- To quantify the extent of body temperature decrease during refuge use.
- To determine factors influencing the duration lizards spend hidden.
Main Methods:
- Infrared thermography was used to measure lizard body temperature.
- Body temperature was recorded before and after simulated predation and refuge use.
- The study focused on the large-sized lizard species, Timon lepidus.
Main Results:
- Body temperature decrease while hidden correlated with time spent hidden and initial body temperature.
- The duration of hiding was primarily influenced by the refuge's internal temperature.
- Lizards spent more time in warmer refuges, suggesting reduced cooling rates.
Conclusions:
- Temperate lizards assess the thermal quality of refuges before hiding.
- Lizards integrate thermal information to optimize antipredator responses and minimize thermoregulatory costs.
- Refuge thermal quality is a key factor in antipredator behavior for ectotherms.