Meeting Abstract
During 2013, drought in central Nevada caused populations of side-blotched lizards to terminate breeding earlier than usual in an apparent shift from reproduction to survival. This led us to investigate which aspects of drought are the causal agent of this shift in life history. To do so we reared side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) in identical lab conditions for six months before assigning them to drought (no supplemental watering) or non-drought (supplemental watering) treatment groups. Animals were fed ad libitum to test the hypothesis that lack of water, but not lack of food, was sufficient to induce a reproductive response. Body condition was not affected by drought during the lab breeding season. However, as the drought progressed animals lacking water were negatively affected in terms of reproductive timing and success. The availability of water following the drought induced positive effects on body condition, but not immediately. These findings suggest that for desert-adapted reptiles drought conditions and the lack of drinking water alone may be enough to affect life history even if the food supply is not altered in nature.
