Meeting Abstract
Rapidly changing environmental conditions can reduce the fitness value of a phenotype. Phenotypic plasticity can solve this problem by enabling individuals to quickly develop phenotypes that are suited to their immediate environment. Seasonal shifts in environmental conditions are particularly important because they provide predictable cues to which organisms can respond in adaptive ways. For example, seasonal changes in temperature can induce phenotypes at different times of the year that have season-specific fitness benefits. Reptilian embryos are especially sensitive to their developmental environment. Our previous study has shown that temperature during different times of the season can affect phenotypes and performance. In this study, we assessed whether the timing of oviposition is adaptively matched to the thermal environment that embryos experience at a given time of the reproductive season. We used the brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei), which has an extended reproductive season (April-October), to address this question. Eggs were collected from two temporally-separated breeding colonies (April and July) and exposed to two incubation treatments that mimicked the natural fluctuations in nest site temperatures during early and late periods of the reproductive season. Hatchlings were measured, and their locomotor performance was assessed in the lab. They were then released on a small island to quantify growth, movement, and survival. Preliminary data suggests that eggs exposed to early-season temperatures have relatively low survival and longer incubation periods than those experiencing late-season temperatures. Further evaluation of the interactive effects of the timing of oviposition and season-specific incubation temperature will provide critical insights into how embryos might be adapted to season-specific developmental environments.
