INVESTIGADORES
FERNANDEZ Jimena Beatriz
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Global warming impact on lizards of the highlands of the Andes and Patagonia Argentina
Autor/es:
IBARGÜENGOYTÍA N. R; KUBISCH E.; FERNANDEZ, JIMENA BEATRIZ; VICENZI, N.; PIANTONI, C.; MEDINA, MARLIN; MILES, D.; SINERVO, BARRY
Lugar:
Hangzhou
Reunión:
Simposio; 8th World Congress of Herpetology; 2016
Resumen:
Global warming has been noticeable in Argentina with greater temperature extremes, heat waves, and a remarkable reduction in precipitation in the Andes Mountains and most of Patagonia, leading to glacial receding and increasing forest fires. The effects of global warming have been enhanced in Patagonia by changes in atmospheric circulation caused by stratospheric ozone depletion. Current predictions suggest warming for the next 50 years will reach up to 3.5°C with respect to present-day conditions. We address how acute and chronic environmental changes are affecting lizards of family Liolaemidae and Gekkonidae in the highlands of the Andes Mountains and in the Patagonian steppe, Argentina, including the southernmost lizards of the world. We analyze ecophysiological responses related to fitness, such as development, growth, reproduction, and running performance at temporal and spatial scale. The preferred body temperatures in liolaemids and geckos are actually higher than the body temperatures they can obtain in nature and higher than the optimal running performance temperature, but include the temperatures that pregnant females requires to ensure higher offspring fitness. Thus, an increase in environmental temperature caused by global warming would enhance overall fitness of these cold adapted species. However, the main threshold would be given when lizards have to retreat several hours per day to evade extreme temperatures in detriment of their energy balance, which can affect reproductive behavior and survivorship, in particular in the West of Argentina where the highest increase in temperature and lower amounts of precipitation are expected. The effects of global warming could be more severe in other genera like Phymaturus because of limitations of dispersal associated with their life history traits, like viviparity, herbivory and specialization to live on isolated rock promontories, which maintain the populations below timberline.