Effects of land-cover transformation and climate change on the distribution of two endemic lizards, Crotaphytus antiquus and Sceloporus cyanostictus, of northern Mexico

Gadsden, Héctor; Ballesteros-Barrera, Claudia; Garza, Ortiz; Castañeda, Gamaliel; Peña, Cristina García-De la; Lemos‐Espinal, Julio A.

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2012.03.014

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…When the net energy gain becomes insufficient for females in their reproductive and active season, the population declines and may eventually head to local extinction (Huey, Losos and Moritz, 2010;Sinervo et al, 2010Sinervo et al, , 2011. Previous reports had shown that species in desert ecosystems have high extinction risk due to increases of environmental temperatures and consequent decrease of activity periods (e.g., Ballesteros-Barrera, Martinez-Meyer and Barrows, 2011;Gadsden et al, 2012). Therefore, it is necessary to understand and monitor the thermal requirements and thermoregulatory behaviour of reptiles in harsh en- Table 1.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermoregulation during the summer season in the Goode’s horned lizard Phrynosoma goodei (Iguania: Phrynosomatidae) in Sonoran Desert

et al. 2014

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Reptiles in desert environments depend on habitat thermal quality to regulate their body temperature and perform biological activities. Understanding thermorégulation with respect to habitat thermal quality is critical for accurate predictions of species responses to climate change. We evaluated thermorégulation in Goode's homed lizard, Phrynosoma goodei, and measured habitat thermal quality at the Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar, Sonora, Mexico, during the hottest season of the year. We found that field-active body temperature averaged 38.1 ± 0.38°C, preferred body temperature in laboratory averaged 34.9 ± 0.18°C and preferred body temperature range was 32.5-37.3°C. Operative temperature (i.e. environmental temperature available to the lizards) averaged 43.0 ± 0.07°C, with maximum temperature being near 70°C, and 62.9% of operative temperatures were above preferred body temperature range of P. goodei. Microhabitat thermal quality occupied by the lizards was high in the moming (7:00-10:30) and afternoon (5:50-dusk). We found that despite strong thermal constraints P. goodei was highly accurate and efficient in regulating its body temperature and that it presented a bimodal thermoregulatory pattem, being active in the mornings and in the evenings in order to avoid high mid-day environmental temperatures. Despite its thermoregulatory ability, P. goodei may be vulnerable to climate warming.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermoregulation during the summer season in the Goode’s horned lizard Phrynosoma goodei (Iguania: Phrynosomatidae) in Sonoran Desert

et al. 2014

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“…Current research suggests ectothermic organisms from desert environments have a high extinction probability under current rates of global warming because sufficiently rapid adaptive change in T b is unlikely (Ballesteros- Deutsch et al, 2008;Sinervo et al, 2010Sinervo et al, , 2018Gadsden et al, 2012;Paranjpe et al, 2013;Lara-Reséndiz et al, 2015;Minoli et al, 2019). However, some species may be relatively resilient to changes in their thermal environment with climate change (e.g., Dipsosaurus dorsalis; Lara-Resendiz et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermoregulation in a saxicolous population of the lizard Urosaurus ornatus from the northern Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico

et al. 2020

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Environmental temperatures often regulate the activity and physiological processes of ectotherms. Because environmental temperatures can vary significantly among seasons, lizards exposed to different thermal conditions in different months could differ in how they thermoregulate or behave. Here, we present a combination of field, laboratory, and modeling approaches to examine thermoregulation, habitat thermal quality, and hours of thermal restriction on activity in a saxicolous population of Urosaurus ornatus in two thermally contrasting months (June and October) in a micro-insular mountain system in the northern Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico. Both active and preferred body temperatures did not vary between months. In this population, U. ornatus is an active thermoregulator with highly accurate and efficient thermoregulation despite the thermal quality in both months. However, during the breeding season (June) activity is restricted (i.e., high number of hours of restriction) compared to the non-breeding season (October). Therefore, our results suggest that this saxicolous population of U. ornatus could be threatened by global climate change and it is essential to determine a conservation strategy for this population.

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“…Although there are few studies on these species (Axtell & Axtell, 1971; Díaz‐Cárdenas et al, ; Gadsden et al, ; Lemos Espinal & Smith, ), evidence of their vulnerability is clear. Gadsden et al () documented how the current loss of suitable habitat for S. cyanostictus (i.e., S. gadsdeni + S. cyanostictus ) has resulted from changes in land use, and predicted an even more dramatic scenario due to global warming, with the loss up of to 84% of suitable environmental conditions. Restricted distribution ranges and habitat specificity make S. gadsdeni and S. cyanostictus particularly vulnerable to the habitat changes they are facing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These species have highly restricted geographic distributions since both are saxicolous lizards with very specific habitat requirements. They are restricted to heavily eroded, almost vertical strata of limestone where low xeric shrubs provide partial shade as well as the insect prey on which the lizards feed (Gadsden et al, ). Even though the presence of both species is likely to be determined by similar habitat traits, ecological differences in their distribution ranges have been reported by Díaz‐Cárdenas et al ().…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiographic and climatic events in the Chihuahuan Desert lead to the speciation and distinct demographic patterns of two sisterSceloporuslizards

Díaz‐Cárdenas

Ruíz-Sánchez

Gadsden

et al. 2019

J Zool Syst Evol Res

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The biogeographic history of the Chihuahuan Desert is known to be complex, and there is evidence of the effects of physiographic and climatic events in species diversification and demographic population changes in many taxa. Here, using DNA sequence data, we studied the influence of the physiographic and climatic events that occurred in the Chihuahuan Desert during the Pliocene–Pleistocene transition on the speciation and evolutionary history of the sister lizard species Sceloporus cyanostictus and S. gadsdeni. First, based on mtDNA and nDNA sequences, we estimated the divergence times of the sister species. Then, based on mtDNA sequences, we investigated the demographic history of both species within a phylogeographic framework. The divergence time was inferred to be 1.48 Mya, date that corresponds to the existence of a large lake in the Mapimian subprovince, between the current geographic locations of S. cyanostictus and S. gadsdeni. This lake could have acted as a barrier, leading to the speciation of both species. For the demographic history of the two species, we identified two distinct patterns: the population expansion of S. gadsdeni within the Last Glacial Maximum and the potential population decline of S. cyanostictus. Our results can be used as a guide for the study of other aspects that could be critical to developing conservation actions that ensure the survival of not only S. gadsdeni and S. cyanostictus, but also other co‐occurring lizard species.

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Effects of land-cover transformation and climate change on the distribution of two endemic lizards, Crotaphytus antiquus and Sceloporus cyanostictus, of northern Mexico

Cited by 16 publications

References 32 publications

Thermoregulation during the summer season in the Goode’s horned lizard Phrynosoma goodei (Iguania: Phrynosomatidae) in Sonoran Desert

Thermoregulation during the summer season in the Goode’s horned lizard Phrynosoma goodei (Iguania: Phrynosomatidae) in Sonoran Desert

Thermoregulation in a saxicolous population of the lizard Urosaurus ornatus from the northern Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico

Physiographic and climatic events in the Chihuahuan Desert lead to the speciation and distinct demographic patterns of two sisterSceloporuslizards

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