A real tale of Godzilla: Impact of climate warming on the growth of a lizard

CARLA PIANTONI; NAVAS, CARLOS; IBARGÜENGOYTÍA, NORA RUTH

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2019

0024-4066

Climatic envelope models have predicted the extinction of populations, but few studies account on individual responses to climate change. Herein, we report on the geographic and temporal variation of growth rates, age at sexual maturity and longevity of two populations of a South American lizard, Tropidurus torquatus. The equator-ward site (forest) was 1-2°C warmer than the pole-ward (urban) site but both experienced an increase of ~1-2 °C over the last four decades. Operative temperatures revealed warmer microenvironments in the urban area than in the forest. Data on growth confirmed that contemporary lizard sizes 1960s attained sexual maturity at the age of 5 years and 6-7 years in the urban and forest sites, respectively, in 2012 animals achieved the minimum adult size 2 years earlier in both localities. Juveniles grew more slowly and adults lived longer in the forest. Life span did not present temporal variation thus the reproductive years increased in both populations in the last four decades. Although short term effects may appear beneficial to lizards like T. torquatus, further warming could ultimately curtail hours of activity and ultimately affect the species fitness and survival.