Meeting Abstract
Life history strategies are known to shift with latitude in some species. While body size, reproductive investment, and behavior have been studied for years, another crucial life history component is the immune system, which can influence an animal’s survival. We housed side-blotched lizards from northern and southern portions of their range under controlled laboratory settings. Animals from each region were split into treatment groups of restricted diet or ad libitum feeding, and all animals received a cutaneous biopsy as an immune challenge. Lizards were bled at the end of the study for immunological and hormone assays. We found that southern animals had faster wound healing and stronger microbiocidal ability, but did not eat as much or gain weight like the northern animals. Differences in climate might be influencing the pace of life in these populations and causing differences in their immune response.
