The importance of maternal effects during the occupation of open and forested areas by Tropidurinae species of lizards

• Grant number: 21/06306-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: July 04, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: José Eduardo de Carvalho
• Grantee: Thayna Medeiros de Andrade
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas (ICAQF). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Diadema. Diadema , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/06045-8 - Effects of salinity on brown anole lizards nesting behavior, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

This project aims to study how maternal effects can manipulate the phenotype of hatchlings from Tropidurinae lizards. The goal is to understand in which way the use of different mechanisms that can change the phenotype of hatchlings relates to the occupation of forested areas, in comparison to open areas. The hypothesis is that females from species occupying forested areas show major variation in litters characteristics and, also, major deposition of thyroid hormones in the yolk, in order to accelerate developmental rates, allowing embryos to hatch earlier, even in fluctuating environments.