Voluntary thermal maximum of grassland vipers (Vipera spp.): environmental drivers and local adaptation

Abstract The thermal tolerance of ectotherms is a critical factor that influences their distribution, physiology, behaviour, and, ultimately, survival. Understanding the factors that shape thermal tolerance in these organisms is, therefore, of great importance for predicting their responses to forec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zoological journal of the Linnean Society 2024-05, Vol.201 (1), p.159-168
Main Authors: Radovics, Dávid, Sos, Tibor, Mebert, Konrad, Üveges, Bálint, Budai, Mátyás, Rák, Gergő, Szabolcs, Márton, Lengyel, Szabolcs, Mizsei, Edvárd
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Body size
Body temperature
Climate change
Climate prediction
Dehydration
Environmental conditions
Global warming
Grasslands
Overheating
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Physiology
Temperature tolerance
Thermal stress
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Summary:Abstract The thermal tolerance of ectotherms is a critical factor that influences their distribution, physiology, behaviour, and, ultimately, survival. Understanding the factors that shape thermal tolerance in these organisms is, therefore, of great importance for predicting their responses to forecasted climate warming. Here, we investigated the voluntary thermal maximum (VTmax) of nine grassland viper taxa and explored the factors that influence this trait. The small size of these vipers and the open landscape they inhabit render them particularly vulnerable to overheating and dehydration. We found that the VTmax of grassland vipers is influenced by environmental temperature, precipitation, short-wave flux, and individual body size, rather than by phylogenetic relatedness. Vipers living in colder environments exhibited a higher VTmax, contradicting the hypothesis that environmental temperature is positively related to VTmax. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering local to regional adaptations and environmental conditions when studying thermal physiology and the evolution of thermal tolerance in ectotherms.
ISSN:0024-4082
1096-3642
DOI:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad109