SOIL MOISTURE ALTERS EGG DEVELOPMENT IN THE FLORIDA SCRUB LIZARD, SCELOPORUS WOODI

Soil moisture is known to alter development patterns of reptile embryos and may influence the dynamics of populations through egg and juvenile survival. Most studies of egg development in lizards and soil moisture have focused on the effects of dry soil conditions. However, many habitats in Florida,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science 2004-10, Vol.120 (3), p.93-98
Main Authors: HOKIT, D. GRANT, BRANCH, LYN C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Eggs
Embryos
Habitat conservation
Hatching
Incubation
Lizards
Reptiles
Soil conditioners
Soil water
Xeric environments
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Summary:Soil moisture is known to alter development patterns of reptile embryos and may influence the dynamics of populations through egg and juvenile survival. Most studies of egg development in lizards and soil moisture have focused on the effects of dry soil conditions. However, many habitats in Florida, including xeric uplands such as scrub, are subject to periodic flooding, and the species occupying these habitats may be exposed to saturated soil conditions. We tested for effects of high soil moisture on development of eggs of the Florida scrub lizard (Sceloporus woodi) using laboratory experiments. Soil that was ≥75 percent saturated resulted in higher egg mortality than drier soils. Soil moisture treatments did not affect incubation period or hatchling size for surviving embryos. The results suggest that low hatching success under hydric soil conditions could contribute to the restriction of scrub lizards to xeric environments and, during high rainfall years, soil moisture conditions in scrub may affect hatching success. Additional studies are needed to link field conditions and hatching success of scrub lizard eggs and to assess effects of episodic hydric stresses on scrub lizard egg development.
ISSN:2167-5872
2167-5880