Effects on the thermoregulatory efficiency of two native lizards as a consequence of the habitat modification by the introduction of the exotic tree Acacia longifolia

Stellatelli, Oscar Aníbal; Vega, Laura; Block, Carolina; Cruz, Félix Benjamín

doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2012.12.005

Cited by 39 publications

(35 citation statements)

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“…Our results are consistent with Castilla and Labra (1998), who attributed increasing intensity of predation by gulls on Podarcis hispanica to the greater conspicuousness of lizards when vegetative cover was diminished. Our results also explain the reduction in the abundance of L. wiegmannii and L. multimaculatus in forested sites and a related shift in their thermal ecology (Stellatelli et al 2013a, Stellatelli 2014.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Nonnative Vegetation Induces Changes in Predation Pressure and Escape Behavior of Two Sand Lizards (Liolaemidae:Liolaemus)

et al. 2015

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The introduction of nonnative plant species might generate habitat modifications that, in turn, increase the predation risk for animals, either by making prey species more conspicuous, limiting the availability of refuges, or by offering vantage points to potential predators. We compared predation pressure and escape behavior of two sympatric species (Liolaemus wiegmannii and Liolaemus multimaculatus) of Sand Lizards inhabiting forested and nonforested grasslands of the pampasic coastal sand dunes of Argentina. Predation pressure was evaluated by measuring the predation rate on plasticine replicas of lizards and the abundance of avian predators. We also recorded flight initiation distance (FID) of lizards in the different habitat types and the microhabitat used as refuge. Both lizard species prefer refuges in native plants but, when they are scarce, the nonnative Acacia longifolia is selected as alternative refuge. In forested habitats, sand-burying behavior is a complementary strategy used by L. multimaculatus to avoid predation. The FID of L. wiegmannii was greater in forested habitats than in nonforested ones. In contrast, L. multimaculatus exhibited a short FID in forested habitats, mostly because sand-burying behavior appears to reduce the risks typically associated with exposed areas. Plasticity in antipredatory behavior suggests that these lizards could recognize predators and develop a suitable antipredatory behavior. We conclude that increased predation pressure and structural alterations of the habitat in the presence of nonnative A. longifolia affect the decisions that determine how, when, and where these lizards flee.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Nonnative Vegetation Induces Changes in Predation Pressure and Escape Behavior of Two Sand Lizards (Liolaemidae:Liolaemus)

et al. 2015

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“…Together with recent studies in Argentina (Stellatelli et al . ) and Australia (Hacking, Abom & Schwarzkopf ), reduced temperature as a result of plant invasions now includes multiple exotic species and resulting negative impacts on native species on three separate continents. Results from additional studies (Leslie & Spotila ; Bolton & Brooks ), previously regarded elsewhere as idiosyncratic and unpredictable (Simberloff ), extend the geographic and species scope of thermal effects to regions as disparate as Africa and Canada.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exotic invasive plants alter thermal regimes: implications for management using a case study of a native ectotherm

et al. 2014

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Summary1. Exotic invasive plants can alter ecosystem structure and function, yet there is a paucity of evidence regarding broadly applicable mechanisms. We hypothesized that denser growth patterns characteristic of exotic invasive plants lead to a common effect of reduction and homogenization of environmental temperatures and that these alterations compromise thermal quality of habitat for ectotherms. 2. We quantified thermal regimes within native and exotic plant-dominated habitats, including monocultures of 11 exotic species as well as stratified mixed-exotic habitats in a temperate forest landscape in the eastern US. 3. Exotic plant-dominated habitats exhibited reduced and less variable temperature compared to their native counterparts, with stratified mixed-exotic habitats exhibiting the lowest temperatures overall and exotic shrubs (six species) the lowest as a structural group. Thermal effects were extended beyond the growing season of native vegetation owing to extended leaf phenology of exotic woody species. 4. To demonstrate that these effects can alter environmental cues and adversely impact native species, we used a 4-year radiotelemetry study and laboratory thermal preference trials to relate habitat thermal quality to multiscale resource selection by a native snake, Agkistrodon contortrix. To further test the effect of vegetation structure and the efficacy of targeted management, we removed exotic foliar cover from eight 400 m 2 plots.5. Radio-tagged snakes avoided exotic vegetation at multiple spatial scales. In contrast to previous studies of A. contortrix, snakes exhibited preference for sites composed of higher native vegetation density and height. Response to exotic foliage removal was also rapid -including use of sites during gestation and parturition. 6. Together with other recent studies, our results suggest a direct, non-trophic effect that is common to a broad range of exotic invasive plant species in a variety of ecological contexts. We further offer a mitigation technique that may be implemented when large-scale control or eradication is not cost-effective or ecologically sound.

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“…In the previous example of nest‐site choice compensating for sex ratio skews, individuals in some populations may be unable to express the necessary plasticity in nest‐site choice if their habitat lacks, for example, suitable shade cover (Refsnider et al., ) or soil depth (Mitchell, Kearney, Nelson, & Porter, ). Climate change is already altering community composition and vegetation structure, in some cases resulting in decreased habitat quality and declines in lizard populations (Schreuder & Clusella‐Trullas, ; Stellatelli, Vega, Block, & Cruz, ). The plasticity in light‐environment use demonstrated by lizards in our study depends on the availability of suitable microhabitats in which to achieve preferred body temperatures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reciprocally transplanted lizards along an elevational gradient match light environment use of local lizards via phenotypic plasticity

et al. 2018

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Thermoregulatory behaviour enables ectotherms to maintain preferred body temperatures across a range of environmental conditions, and it may buffer individuals against the effects of climate warming. In lizards, the mechanism underlying variation in thermoregulatory behaviour has long been assumed to be phenotypic plasticity, and while this assumption has been difficult to test using wild populations in their natural habitat, it has critical implications as to how variation in thermoregulation is incorporated in models designed to predict outcomes of climate change on ectotherms. We continuously recorded one component of thermoregulatory behaviour, light‐environment use, by two wild populations of desert short‐horned lizards Phrynosoma hernandesi occurring at low (warm) and high (cool) elevations. We then reciprocally transplanted lizards and recorded their light‐environment use when exposed to a novel climate at the transplant site. Immediately following the reciprocal transplant to a novel climate, lizards from both populations adjusted their light‐environment use and matched the light‐environment use exhibited by local lizards at that site. This study provides direct empirical evidence that lizards can immediately adjust light‐environment use, one component of thermoregulatory behaviour, via phenotypic plasticity to match the local environment. Our results provide hope that lizards may have some capacity to buffer against climate change by adjusting their light‐environment use to compensate for warmer environmental temperatures. A http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.13071/suppinfo is available for this article.

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Effects on the thermoregulatory efficiency of two native lizards as a consequence of the habitat modification by the introduction of the exotic tree Acacia longifolia

Cited by 39 publications

References 50 publications

Nonnative Vegetation Induces Changes in Predation Pressure and Escape Behavior of Two Sand Lizards (Liolaemidae:Liolaemus)

Nonnative Vegetation Induces Changes in Predation Pressure and Escape Behavior of Two Sand Lizards (Liolaemidae:Liolaemus)

Exotic invasive plants alter thermal regimes: implications for management using a case study of a native ectotherm

Reciprocally transplanted lizards along an elevational gradient match light environment use of local lizards via phenotypic plasticity

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