Does thermal biology differ between two colour pattern morphs of a widespread Australian lizard?

Autor: Matthews G; School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia., Farquhar JE; School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia., White CR; School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia; Centre for Geometric Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia., Chapple DG; School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia. Electronic address: David.Chapple@monash.edu.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of thermal biology [J Therm Biol] 2023 May; Vol. 114, pp. 103579. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Apr 27.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103579
Abstrakt: Alternative phenotypes allow individuals to pursue different adaptive pathways in response to the same selective challenge. Colour polymorphic species with geographically varying morph frequencies may reflect multiple adaptations to spatial variables such as temperature and climate. We examined whether thermal biology differed between colour morphs of an Australian lizard, the delicate skink, Lampropholis delicata. The delicate skink has two colour pattern morphs, with frequencies varying across latitude and sex: plain (darker, more common at temperate latitudes, more common in males) or striped (lighter, more common at lower latitudes, more common in females). We tested heating and cooling rate, sprint speed, thermal preference, field body temperature and metabolic rate in both morphs and sexes to determine any link between colour and morph frequency distribution. Plain individuals heated more quickly, but other thermal traits showed little variation among morphs. Lampropholis delicata colour influences rates of heat exchange, but the relationship does not appear to be adaptive, suggesting that behavioural thermoregulation homogenises body temperature in the field. While we find no substantial evidence of thermal differences between the two colour morphs, morph-specific behaviour may buffer against differences in heat exchange. Latitudinal variation in species colour may be driven by selection pressures other than temperature.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None.
(Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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