Low precipitation aggravates the impact of extreme high temperatures on lizard reproduction

Extreme high temperatures are occurring more frequently with ongoing anthropogenic climate warming, but the experimental tests of the effects of high temperatures on terrestrial vertebrates in natural conditions are rare. In this study, we investigated the effects of extreme high temperatures on fem...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oecologia 2016-12, Vol.182 (4), p.961-971
Main Authors: Wang, Yang, Zeng, Zhi-Gao, Li, Shu-Ran, Bi, Jun-Huai, Du, Wei-Guo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anthropogenic factors
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Body Size
Climate
Climate change
Deserts
Ecology
Extreme heat
Females
Global warming
High temperature
Hydrology/Water Resources
Lacertilia
Life history
Life Sciences
Lizards
Offspring
PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY - ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Plant Sciences
Precipitation (Meteorology)
Reproduction
Sex ratio
Steppes
Temperature
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Summary:Extreme high temperatures are occurring more frequently with ongoing anthropogenic climate warming, but the experimental tests of the effects of high temperatures on terrestrial vertebrates in natural conditions are rare. In this study, we investigated the effects of extreme high temperatures on female reproduction and offspring traits of multi-ocellated racerunners (Eremias multiocellata) kept in field enclosures in the desert steppe of Inner Mongolia. Our studies indicate that high temperatures significantly affect the gestation period and reproductive output of females and the offspring sex ratio, but have little impact on offspring body size and mass. More interestingly, we found that the effect of extreme high temperatures on female reproductive output was not consistent between two consecutive years that differed in precipitation. Low precipitation may aggravate the impact of climate warming on lizards and negatively affect the survival of lizards in the desert steppe. Our results provide evidence that temperature interacts with precipitation to determine the life history of lizards, and they suggest that a drier and hotter environment, such as the future climate in arid mid-latitude areas, will likely impose severe pressure on lizard populations, which are an important component of the food web in desert areas around the world.
ISSN:0029-8549
1432-1939
DOI:10.1007/s00442-016-3727-x