Data from: Urban wall lizards are resilient to high levels of blood lead
Data files
Oct 10, 2024 version files 40.28 KB
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Mooreetal_LizardLead_2024_AnalysisCode.R
28.10 KB
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Mooreetal_LizardLead_2024_BalanceData.csv
3.54 KB
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Mooreetal_LizardLead_2024_EnduranceData.csv
2.24 KB
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Mooreetal_LizardLead_2024_FieldData.csv
3.10 KB
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README.md
3.31 KB
Abstract
Living in urban environments presents many challenges to wildlife, including exposure to potentially toxic pollutants. For example, the heavy metal lead (Pb) introduces numerous health problems to all animals, including humans. The little work that has been conducted on lead toxicity in reptiles suggests that lizards may be extraordinarily resilient to very high levels of lead pollution, by either avoiding or mitigating the toxicity. To assess the impact of lead exposure, we measured field blood levels and tested for the effects on ecologically relevant performance measures in common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) – a small reptile particularly capable of thriving in urban environments. We captured lizards from roadside and park habitats across Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, and quantified the concentration of lead in blood samples (n = 71 adult lizards). Lizards from roadside populations had higher blood lead concentrations than lizards from park populations, and females had higher blood lead concentrations than males regardless of habitat type. We then tested two aspects of lizard performance important for survival: (1) balance, a cognitively demanding task, to assess the effect of lead on cognition (N = 41), and (2) running endurance, an aerobic exercise dependent on oxygen (N = 43), to assess the impact of lead on blood oxygen-carrying capacity. We then used correlation analyses to quantify the relationship between lead levels and these ecologically-relevant performance measures. There was no effect of blood lead levels on running endurance, but contrary to our predictions there was a slight positive effect on balance performance, whereby lizards with higher blood lead concentrations slipped less often than lizards with lower blood lead concentrations. Understanding the effects of lead toxicity and resilience in a particularly resistant animal could help us better respond to public health and environmental pollution concerns.
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0rxwdbs9m
Description of the data and file structure
Files and variables
File: Mooreetal_LizardLead_2024_AnalysisCode.R
Description: All statistical outputs and data figures from the manuscript can be reproduced by running this code in the R Programming Language using the data files archived here.
File: Mooreetal_LizardLead_2024_BalanceData.csv
Description: Provides summarized balance data on common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) from performance trials
Variables
- B_Date: Date of performance trial
- ID: Identification number for each lizard
- B_Air_Temp: Air temperature at the start of balance trials (°C)
- B_Humidity: Humidity at the start of balance trials (% RH)
- B_Start_Tb: Starting body temperature before balance trials (°C)
- B_Time: Time balance trials started
- B_End_Tb: End body temperature after balance trials (°C)
- T1_Distance: Distance covered by lizards on balance beam (mm) (NA indicates data not collected)
- T1_Slips: Number of slips on balance beam (NA indicates data not collected)
- T1_End: Describes if the last movement on the beam was a slip, a jump off, or completed (NA indicates data not collected)
- T2_Distance: Distance covered by lizards on balance beam (mm) (NA indicates data not collected)
- T2_Slips: Number of slips on balance beam (NA indicates data not collected)
- T2_End: Describes if the last movement on the beam was a slip, a jump off, or completed (NA indicates data not collected)
- T3_Distance: Distance covered by lizards on balance beam (mm) (NA indicates data not collected)
- T3_Slips: Number of slips on balance beam (NA indicates data not collected)
- T3_End: Describes if the last movement on the beam was a slip, a jump off, or completed (NA indicates data not collected)
File: Mooreetal_LizardLead_2024_EnduranceData.csv
Description: Provides summarized endurance data on common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) from performance trials
Variables
- E_Date: Date of performance trial
- ID: Identification number for each lizard
- E_Air_Temp: Air temperature at the start of endurance trials (°C)
- E_Humidity: Humidity at the start of endurance trials (% RH)
- E_Start_Tb: Starting body temperature before endurance trials (°C)
- E_Start_Time: Time endurance trials started
- E_End_Tb: End body temperature after endurance trials (°C)
- E_End_Time: Time endurance trials ended
- Endurance: Amount of time ran from start to finish (s)
File: Mooreetal_LizardLead_2024_FieldData.csv
Description: Provides collection, morphological, and hematological data on common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) in the field
Variables
- ID: Identification number for each lizard
- CollectionDate: Date data were collected
- Lizard_ID: Identification number of each lizard
- Population: Population where data were collected
- Sex: Sex of captured lizards
- Mass: Mass of lizards at capture (g) (NA indicates data not collected)
- SVL: Snout-vent-length (mm) (NA indicates data not collected)
- Hct: Hematocrit (NA indicates data not collected)
- Blood_Lead: Blood-lead quantification (ppm)