Meeting Abstract
Incubation temperature can have important effects on organismal phenotypes and ultimately fitness. Despite numerous studies on these effects, few studies have examined the influence of incubation temperature on thermal sensitivity of performance traits. In this study I tested whether incubation temperature had a measurable influence on offspring phenotypes, including the thermal sensitivity of sprinting performance. Subsequently, I released hatchlings on replicate islands in a local reservoir to examine the fitness consequences on phenotypic variation. I collected eggs from 18 female Sceloporus consobrinus, split each clutch and assigned eggs to one of two incubation treatments. Half of the eggs were incubated at 27 degrees and the other half at 30 degrees. I measured all hatchlings within 24 hours of hatching, and measured thermal performance of sprinting speed within one week of hatching. All hatchlings were re-measured and released within 10 days of hatching. Islands were populated at a similar (natural) density with an equivalent number of hatchlings from each incubation treatment on each island. I visited each island at one-month intervals to estimate growth rates and survival throughout the first growing season.
