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AUTHORS: Madeline Michels-Boyce, Department of Biological Sciences, Minnesota State University, Mankato; John Krenz, Department of Biological Sciences, Minnesota State University, Mankato; Nora Ibargüengoytía, Departamento de Zoología, INIBIOMA-CONICET, Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional del Comahue
ABSTRACT: In order to survive winters in harsh climates, organisms often prepare for winter by storing energy and retreating to a suitable refuge. Additionally, ectothermic organisms may physiologically prepare for wintering (brumation) by either tolerating freezing temperatures or avoiding them in warmer refuges. In lizards, both a decreasing temperature and a shortening photoperiod can be the proximate cause of the onset of brumation, but it is unclear whether these two cues are used independently or conjointly to stimulate physiological changes. As is true for many vertebrates, there is little known about ecotypic variation in adaptation to cold climate in lizards. To detect such ecotypic variation, we collected five-lined skinks (Plestiodon fasciatus) from two latitudes (Minnesota/Wisconsin and Texas). To distinguish the effects of photoperiod and temperature on brumation, we propose to expose both groups to either decreasing or constant regimes of each variable. We predict that lizards will respond the strongest when given both photoperiod and temperature cues. We also predict that the lizards from the high latitude will store more energy and have lower critical thermal minima than lizards from the low latitude. The presence of north-south ecotypic variation in cold adaptation would be an important consideration in species conservation in the face of climate change.
