Limited ecophysiological variation in the Canary Island lizard Gallotia galloti (Oudart, 1839) across an elevational range of over 3500 m (Squamata: Lacertidae)

The lacertid lizard Gallotia galloti inhabits drastically different environments on the island of Tenerife, from sea level to > 3500 m, encompassing mesic as well as extremely arid sites. To obtain a first exploratory overview of the thermophysiology of lizards in this range of environments, we experimentally inferred preferred temperature (Tpref) and instant evaporative water loss (IWL) in 63 individuals from five bioclimatically distinct sites. We found statistically significant but weak differences between individual median Tpref values across sites, without an obvious relationship to bioclimate. Considering only adult male lizards, the highest Tpref values were found at one mesic and one very arid site. IWL differences were also significantly different across sites, and this variable was positively correlated with rainfall if analysed at the level of individual lizards, a hypothesis that requires testing against more extensive data sets. It appears that G. galloti occupies an extensive range of bioclimates without heavily adjusting its thermal physiology to local conditions.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Albaladejo-Robles, Gonzalo, Rodríguez, Noemi, Rodríguez-Concepción, Benza, Nogales, Manuel, Vences, Miguel
Other Authors:	Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Format:	artículo biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Societas Europaea Herpetologica 2022-02-08
Subjects:	Canary Islands, Tenerife, endemic lizard, thermoregulation, behaviour, temperature preference, evaporative water loss,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/10261/295755
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