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Wind constraints on the thermoregulation of high mountain lizards

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Abstract

Thermal biology of lizards affects their overall physiological performance. Thus, it is crucial to study how abiotic constraints influence thermoregulation. We studied the effect of wind speed on thermoregulation in an endangered mountain lizard (Iberolacerta aurelioi). We compared two populations of lizards: one living in a sheltered rocky area and the other living in a mountain ridge, exposed to strong winds. The preferred temperature range of I. aurelioi, which reflects thermal physiology, was similar in both areas, and it was typical of a cold specialist. Although the thermal physiology of lizards and the structure of the habitat were similar, the higher wind speed in the exposed population was correlated with a significant decrease in the effectiveness thermoregulation, dropping from 0.83 to 0.74. Our results suggest that wind reduces body temperatures in two ways: via direct convective cooling of the animal and via convective cooling of the substrate, which causes conductive cooling of the animal. The detrimental effect of wind on thermoregulatory effectiveness is surprising, since lizards are expected to thermoregulate more effectively in more challenging habitats. However, wind speed would affect the costs and benefits of thermoregulation in more complex ways than just the cooling of animals and their habitats. For example, it may reduce the daily activity, increase desiccation, or complicate the hunting of prey. Finally, our results imply that wind should also be considered when developing conservation strategies for threatened ectotherms.

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments that helped us to improve the manuscript. We thank Sergi Riba and Jordi Nicolau for their great help providing us accommodation and guidance in Andorra. We thank Alberto Parada for helping with fieldwork, as well as Mario Garrido, Ana Pérez-Cembranos, Gonzalo Rodríguez and Alicia León for their support during writing. We also thank Mary Trini Mencía and Joe McIntyre for linguistic revision. Lizards were sampled under licences of the Ministeri de Turismo i Medi ambient of the Govern d’Andorra. Financial support was provided to ZO and AM by predoctoral grants of the University of Salamanca. This work was also supported by the research project CGL2012-39850-CO2-02 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. All research was conducted in compliance with ethical standards and procedures of the University of Salamanca.

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  1. Department of Animal Biology, University of Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, 37007, Salamanca, Spain

    Zaida Ortega, Abraham Mencía & Valentín Pérez-Mellado

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  1. Zaida Ortega
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Correspondence to Zaida Ortega.

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Ortega, Z., Mencía, A. & Pérez-Mellado, V. Wind constraints on the thermoregulation of high mountain lizards. Int J Biometeorol 61, 565–573 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-016-1233-9

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