Abstract

LARA-RESENDIZ, Rafael A.; LARRAIN-BARRIOS, Bárbara C.; DIAZ DE LA VEGA-PEREZ, Aníbal H.  and  MENDEZ-DE LA CRUZ, Fausto R.. Thermal quality along an altitudinal gradient for a lizard community in Sierra del Ajusco and Pedregal de San Ángel, Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2014, vol.85, n.3, pp.885-897. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.7550/rmb.42249.

We evaluated and compared the thermal quality for a lizard community (9 species) in Sierra del Ajusco and Pedregal de San Ángel (central Mexico) along an altitudinal gradient (2 320-3 530 m) to determine whether different thermal environments may be influencing species distribution and thermoregulatory behavior. Six areas that differ in elevation and vegetation type are chosen to survey environmental operative temperatures. Habitat thermal quality is estimated from the mean deviation of operative temperatures from lizards' selected thermal range. Results indicate 3 key findings: 1) operative temperature and thermal quality are higher at lower elevations (2 320 and 2 540 m), where xeric scrub vegetation was abundant; 2) thermal quality is lowest in closed-canopy pine forest (2 870 and 3 220 m); and 3) intermediate values of operative temperature and thermal quality are observed in open grassland habitat (3 000 and 3 530 m). These results support our hypothesis that elevation and vegetation type affect thermal quality and we conclude that thermal ecology studies should be conducted at multiple spatial scales to gain a better understanding of factors influencing the thermal niche and thermoregulatory profiles.

Keywords : high elevation; temperate environment; thermal niche; thermal offer; selected body temperature; operative temperature.

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