Exploring the relationship between thermoregulation, competition for basking sites and hormone levels in the mountain lizard Tropidurus montanus

• Grant number: 23/09769-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2023
• End date: January 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Physiology of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: José Eduardo de Carvalho
• Grantee: Willian Souza Lima
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas (ICAQF). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Diadema. Diadema , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In this project we seek to investigate the relationship between thermoregulation behavior and androgen hormone levels in adult males of the mountain lizard Tropidurus montanus. These lizards depend on the environment to regulate their body temperature and primarily use thermoregulatory behaviors to maintain thermal homeostasis. For this, males search for suitable places for thermoregulation, when agonistic interactions occur with other individuals within a competition for better resources. Thus, in this project, we will understand the relationship between testosterone levels, a hormone related to aggressiveness, in thermoregulatory dynamics and in territory defense. For this, we will carry out observations of the behavior of males in the field to collect data on the competition for the place of thermoregulation, when we will identify the winners and losers of a dispute. Then, we will collect blood samples from these individuals for analysis of testosterone levels, as well as morphological measurements. We will analyze the correlations between the levels of this androgen and the success of individuals in defending the thermoregulation sites, considering the morphological differences between them. We expect to find that male individuals who win territorial disputes have higher circulating levels of testosterone. Thus, we will explore the relationship between thermoregulation, hormonal regulation and behavior in T. montanus, contributing to the understanding of the ecology and biology of these animals.