10.5061/DRYAD.CZ8W9GJ3C
Gunderson, Alex
0000-0002-0120-4246
Tulane University
Riddell, Eric
Iowa State University
Sears, Michael
Clemson University
Rosenblum, Erica Bree
University of California, Berkeley
White Sands desert lizard thermal data
Dryad
dataset
2021
2021-11-19T00:00:00Z
2021-11-19T00:00:00Z
en
68692 bytes
3
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Traits often contribute to multiple functions, complicating our
understanding of the selective pressures that influence trait evolution.
In the Chihuahuan Desert, predation is thought to be the primary driver of
cryptic light coloration in three White Sands lizard species relative to
the darker coloration of populations on adjacent dark soils. However,
coloration also influences radiation absorption and thus animal body
temperatures. We combined comparative physiological experiments and
biophysical models to test for thermal consequences of evolving different
color morphs in White Sands across the three species. While light and dark
morphs have not evolved different physiological heat limits within
species, differences in radiation absorption between morphs lead to body
temperature differences that impact relative overheating risk and activity
patterns. Moreover, for all three species, an idealized morph that matches
the White Sands substrate would have considerably less activity time, by
approximately one month, than existing light morphs. Overall, there are
both benefits and costs to greater substrate matching, the balance of
which may prevent the evolution of optimal crypsis. Our work highlights
the importance of color in dictating thermal performance and the
complexity inherent in understanding the evolution of coloration.