The physiological ecology of Sceloporus undulatus and Uta stansburiana along an altitudinal gradient in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
Christian KA, Porter WP, Tracy CR. 1984. The physiological ecology of Sceloporus undulatus and Uta stansburiana along an altitudinal gradient in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 65(2; Program Issue):156
Sceloporus undulatus was studied at 4 sites and Uta stansburiana at a fifth (lower) site in the Guadalupe Mountains to determine the effect of differences in microclimate (due to elevation and geographic features) on activity time, microhabitat use, and body temperature. Censuses were made at each site to record microhabitat selection, body temperatures, and microclimate as a function of the time of day. Soil temperature and moisture were also measured at each site to evaluate the microclimatic differences among sites with respect to the incubation of eggs. Biophysical modeling was used to estimate potential ranges of body temperatures throughout the day at each site, and these are compared to the observation of body temperatures. Climatic differences among sites were compensated for by adjustments in time budgets and microhabitat selection such that body temperatures were not drastically different. Differences in the subsurface environment apparently influence the incubation of eggs which results in differences in population structure among sites.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Christian, Keith; Porter, Warren; Tracy, C
- Units
- GUMO
- Keywords
- Altitude, Animal Studies, eastern fence lizard (Scelopours undulatus), Gradients, side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana)