title: Lizards fail to plastically adjust nesting behavior or thermal tolerance as needed to buffer populations from climate warming.
abstract: Although observations suggest the potential for phenotypic plasticity to allow adaptive responses to climate change, few experiments have assessed that potential. Modeling suggests that Sceloporus tristichus lizards will need increased nest depth, shade cover, or embryonic thermal tolerance to avoid reproductive failure resulting from climate change. To test for such plasticity, we experimentally examined how maternal temperatures affect nesting behavior and embryonic thermal sensitivity. The temperature regime that females experienced while gravid did not affect nesting behavior, but warmer temperatures at the time of nesting reduced nest depth. Additionally, embryos from heat-stressed mothers displayed increased sensitivity to high-temperature exposure. Simulations suggest that critically low temperatures, rather than high temperatures, historically limit development of our study population. Thus, the plasticity needed to buffer this population has not been under selection. Plasticity will likely fail to compensate for ongoing climate change when such change results in novel stressors.
authors: Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98125, USA.
authors: Rory S
authors: RS
authors: Telemeco
authors: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
authors: Brooke
authors: B
authors: Fletcher
authors: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
authors: Ofir
authors: O
authors: Levy
authors: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Riley
authors: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
authors: Yesenia
authors: Y
authors: Rodriguez-Sanchez
authors: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
authors: Colton
authors: C
authors: Smith
authors: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
authors: Collin
authors: C
authors: Teague
authors: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
authors: Amanda
authors: A
authors: Waters
authors: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Angilletta
authors: Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98125, USA.
authors: Lauren B
authors: LB
authors: Buckley
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D002980:Climate; D057231:Climate Change; D005260:Female; D008116:Lizards / Q000502:physiology*; D009425:Nesting Behavior; D013696:Temperature
keywords: 
  Sceloporus tristichus
  ; 
  Sceloporus undulatus
  ; incubation; mechanistic model; phenotypic plasticity