Potential for thermal tolerance to mediate climate change effects on three members of a cool temperate lizard genus, Niveoscincus.

Climatic changes are predicted to be greater in higher latitude and mountainous regions but species specific impacts are difficult to predict. This is partly due to inter-specific variance in the physiological traits which mediate environmental temperature effects at the organismal level. We examined variation in the critical thermal minimum (CTmin), critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and evaporative water loss rates (EWL) of a widespread lowland (Niveoscincus ocellatus) and two range restricted highland (N.

Effects of early postnatal environment on phenotype and survival of a lizard.

Nutritional and thermal regimes experienced early in life can strongly influence offspring quality and ultimately adult life histories, especially in ectotherms. However, the importance of the interaction between diet and temperature during postnatal development and the effect on offspring quality are unknown. We compared offspring quality (size, shape, speed, behavior, and survival) of juvenile McCann's skinks (Oligosoma maccanni) housed outdoors under variable thermal conditions (under shelter, but exposed to daily and seasonal variations in light and temperature) with those housed indoors under more stable thermal conditions (controlled temperatures providing 30-40% more basking opportunity) and with a control group (open field conditions).

Thermal dependence of locomotor performance in two cool-temperate lizards.

Temperate-zone ectotherms experience varying or very low ambient temperatures and may have difficulty in attaining preferred body temperatures. Thus, adaptations to reduce the thermal dependence of physiological processes may be present. We measured the optimal temperature range for sprint speed and compared it with the selected body temperatures (T (sel)) of two sympatric, cool-temperate lizards: the diurnal skink Oligosoma maccanni and the primarily nocturnal gecko Woodworthia (previously Hoplodactylus) "Otago/Southland".