10.5061/DRYAD.V6J70
Caldwell, Amanda J.
University of Tasmania
While, Geoffrey M.
University of Tasmania
University of Oxford
Wapstra, Erik
University of Tasmania
Data from: Plasticity of thermoregulatory behaviour in response to the
thermal environment by widespread and alpine reptile species
Dryad
dataset
2018
Niveoscincus greeni
Niveoscincus microlepidotus
Niveoscincus ocellatus
highland specialist
montane species
reptile
Holocene
Niveoscincus metallicus
2018-09-06T00:00:00Z
2018-09-06T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.07.025
104333 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Phenotypic plasticity plays a central role in determining how organisms
respond to environmental change over short timescales. Despite this, we
know little about how phenotypic plasticity varies between populations or
species. We tested the extent of plasticity in basking behaviour in low-
and high-altitude populations of two widespread lowland and two highland
species of a cool-climate lizard genus: Niveoscincus. We found evidence of
divergence in basking behaviour between populations and species, with
highland species and high-altitude populations of all species basking more
than the widespread lowland species and low-altitude populations.
Furthermore, we found differences in the extent of behavioural plasticity
between species. Widespread lowland species altered their basking
behaviour depending on basking opportunity whereas the highland species
maintained high levels of basking independent of basking opportunity.
These differences in basking behaviour were concordant with the
differences in body temperature across all populations, species and
treatments. Combined, this suggests that divergence in thermoregulatory
behaviour and thermophysiology between populations and species may have
been facilitated by adaptive behavioural plasticity within populations. We
discuss this and the implications of our findings for the ability of these
animals to cope with ongoing climate change.
Data from Caldwell et al Animal BehaviourAll morphological, behavioural
and thermophysiological data for all species/populations/treatments
collected as part of this study.Caldwelletal_AniBeh_DATA.csv
Tasmania
Australia