Thermal responses to environmental constraints in two population of the oviparous lizard Liolaemus bibronii in Patagonia Argentina.

MEDINA, M., GUTIERREZ J., SCOLARO A., IBARGUENGOYTIA N..

JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 2009 vol. 34 p. 32 - 40

0306-4565

Abstract Ectotherms change their thermoregulation behaviour according to the available temperatures, photoperiod, and radiation present in their local environment. The influences of the abiotic environment not only affect the body temperature but also most life history traits of populations. The thermal biology of one of the southern-most oviparous lizards, Liolaemus bibronii, was studied at high and low-latitude sites in Patagonia, Argentina, following the methodology of Hertz et al. (1993). Our results show that Liolaemus bibronii lives under thermal-environmental constraints, behaves as a moderate thermoregulator, and shows the lowest body temperature (28 °C) for oviparous liolaemids.