Chasing the Patagonian sun: comparative thermal biology of Liolaemus lizards

D. L. MORENO AZOCAR; BIEKE VANHOOYDONCK; M. F. BONINO; M. G. PEROTTI; C. S. ABDALA; J. A. SCHULTE; F. B. CRUZ

OECOLOGIA

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2013 p. 773 - 788

0029-8549

The importance of the thermal environment for ectotherms and its relationship with thermal physiology and ecology is widely recognized. Several models have been proposed to explain the evolution of the thermal biology of ectotherms, but experimental studies have provided mixed support. Lizards from the Liolaemus goetschi group can be found along a wide latitudinal range across Argentina. Their monophyly, diversity in ecological attributes, and wide distribution provide a good study case to examine the evolution of their thermal biology. We studied thermal variables of 13 species of the Liolaemus goetschi group, in order to answer three questions. Firstly, are aspects of the thermal biology of the L. goetschi group modelled by the environment or are they evolutionarily conservative? Secondly, have thermal characteristics of these animals co-evolved? And thirdly, to put a finger on the effect of phylogeny, we use two hierarchical scales, two phylogenetic approaches, and estimate phylogenetic signal present in the studied variables. We collected data from our 13 focal species and used the species information of Liolaemus lizards available in the literature and data obtained by the authors. We answered these questions by using phylogenetically based analyses and conventional statistics. Our results show that lizards from the L. goetschi group and the Liolaemus genus in general vary in some aspects of their thermal biology mostly influenced by cold Patagonian temperatures. Although the effect of phylogeny cannot be ignored, our results indicate that thermal biology is modelled by cold environments. Besides, we found evidence of co-evolutionary patterns at both phylogenetic scales.