Environmental temperature predicts resting metabolic rates in tropidurinae lizards

Author(s)

Giaconnetti, Danilo ; Bars-Closel, Melissa ; Kohlsdorf, Tiana ; de Carvalho, Jose Eduardo ; de Barros, Fabio Cury

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: OURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART A-ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOG; v. 337, n. 9-10, p. 14-pg., 2022-09-20.

Abstract

Interspecific variation in metabolic rates may be associated with climate, habitat structure, and resource availability. Despite a strong link between ecology and physiology, there is a dearth in the understanding of how the costs of body maintenance change during ecological transitions. We focused on an ecologically diverse group of neotropical lizards (Tropidurinae) to investigate whether and how resting metabolic rate (RMR) evolved under divergent micro- and macrohabitat conditions. Using a phylogenetic framework, we tested whether species from hot and dry habitats had lower RMRs in relation to those from cooler and mesic habitats, and investigated whether microhabitat usage had an effect over body mass-adjusted RMRs. Our results suggest that RMRs are not phylogenetically structured in Tropidurinae. We found no correlation between metabolism, precipitation, and microhabitat usage. Species from warmer habitats had lower RMR compared to those from cooler habitats, supporting a mechanism of negative compensation in metabolic responses to temperature. Ectotherms from warmer habitats can limit energetic demand and expenditure through reduced RMR, whereas those from cooler habitats may sustain activity despite thermal constraints via increased RMR. Our work highlights the role of temperature in shaping metabolic responses in lizards, giving additional support to the notion that physiology and ecological contexts are intertwined. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/07650-6 - Ecology, evolution and development (Eco-Evo-Devo) in the Brazilian herpetofauna
• Grantee: Tiana Kohlsdorf
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 20/12962-5 - A look on the habitat heterogeneity: how did the physiology and behavior of tropidurine lizards allow occupation of forests and open environments?
• Grantee: José Eduardo de Carvalho
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/14125-0 - Integrative analysis of sexual dimorphism in lizards: morphology, functional significance and selection
• Grantee: Renata Brandt Nunes
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral