Phenotypic plasticity may help lizards cope with increasingly variable temperatures.

ABSTRACT

Temperature variability is predicted to increase in the coming century due to climate change. However, the biological impact of increased temperature variability on animals remains largely unexplored. Here, we experimentally exposed gravid viviparous lizards (Eremias multiocellata) to two thermal environments [constant daily maximum (CDM) versus variable daily maximum (VDM) treatment with the same average temperature] to address maternal and offspring responses to increased variability in ambient temperature. Females from the VDM treatment delayed parturition, but produced similar litter sizes and litter masses as did CDM females. Offspring from the VDM treatment selected higher body temperatures, had higher metabolic rates and higher growth rates, and grew to a similar size as those from the CDM treatment despite having a shorter growth period prior to hibernation. Therefore, phenotypic plasticity may be critical for lizards to respond effectively to climate change, and its role in responding to increasingly variable temperatures warrants further attention.