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Dryad

Cycling temperature treatments and digestion in prairie lizards (Sceloporus consobrinus)

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Feb 01, 2024 version files 11.76 KB

Abstract

In nature, many organisms experience a daily range of body temperatures. Thermal performance at stable temperatures is often extrapolated to predict function in cyclical environments. However, temperature order and cyclicity may influence physiological processes. The current study compared energy intake, digestive passage time, and energy budgets across stable temperature (30˚C, 33˚C, 36˚C) and two temperature cycles in lizards (Sceloporus conosbrinus), determining 1) if stable treatments adequately project performance in a cycling environment and 2) if temperature order influences performance. Cycles rotated through 30˚C, 33˚C, 36˚C daily, with equal durations of time at each temperature but differing temperature order, with warm days and cool nights in cycle 1 and cool days and warm nights in cycle 2. For analyses, stable treatments were compiled into a single dataset and compared to cycles. If temperature is the primary factor regulating performance, then performance averages from stable treatments and cycles should compare favorably. However, physiological performance varied based on temperature treatment. Intake and energy budgets were similar between stable trials and cycle 1 but not cycle two. Passage time was quicker in cycle 1 than cycle 2 and stable treatment predictions. Notably, the two cycling regimes consistently varied in performance, indicating that temperature order plays a primary role in regulating performance. Physiological data collection requires careful consideration of effects of cycling versus stable temperature treatments. Stable temperatures do not consistently represent performance in cycling regimes and consideration should be paid not only to which temperatures animals experience, but how temperature is experienced in nature.