Colour-driven activity adjustments mediate thermoregulation in sand lizards

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985904%3A_____%2F25%3A00638967" target="_blank" >RIV/67985904:_____/25:00638967 - isvavai.cz</a>

Nalezeny alternativní kódy

RIV/68081766:_____/25:00638967 RIV/00216224:14310/25:00142064

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://bioone.org/journalArticle/Download?urlId=10.25225%2Fjvb.25046" target="_blank" >https://bioone.org/journalArticle/Download?urlId=10.25225%2Fjvb.25046</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.25225/jvb.25046" target="_blank" >10.25225/jvb.25046</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Colour-driven activity adjustments mediate thermoregulation in sand lizards

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

Animal colouration serves multiple functions, including camouflage, communication , thermoregulation, is shaped by the trade-offs between these roles. In ectotherms, which primarily regulate body temperature through behaviour, colour can influence how much heat they absorb from the environment. The thermal melanism hypothesis predicts that darker individuals heat up faster than lighter ones, particularly in basking species, but the role of colour in thermoregulation is complex and context-dependent. Although ectotherms rely mainly on behaviour for thermoregulation, colour may modulate heat absorption. Here, we tested how environmental and biotic factors influence body temperature and activity timing in sand lizards (Lacerta agilis). We collected body temperature data and dorsal colouration measurements from two populations in Czechia and used structural equation modelling to disentangle direct and indirect effects. Environmental temperature was the strongest predictor of body temperature, showing a positive effect, whereas body size and site had negative effects. Colouration did not directly affect body temperature but significantly influenced activity timing, with darker and more saturated individuals emerging earlier in the day. This result suggests that colour-mediated thermoregulation in sand lizards is primarily behavioural, shaping basking opportunities rather than passively dictating heat gain. Our findings demonstrate how environmental, morphological, and behavioural factors collectively shape lizard thermoregulation, with colour primarily influencing activity timing rather than directly affecting body temperature.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Colour-driven activity adjustments mediate thermoregulation in sand lizards

Popis výsledku anglicky

Animal colouration serves multiple functions, including camouflage, communication , thermoregulation, is shaped by the trade-offs between these roles. In ectotherms, which primarily regulate body temperature through behaviour, colour can influence how much heat they absorb from the environment. The thermal melanism hypothesis predicts that darker individuals heat up faster than lighter ones, particularly in basking species, but the role of colour in thermoregulation is complex and context-dependent. Although ectotherms rely mainly on behaviour for thermoregulation, colour may modulate heat absorption. Here, we tested how environmental and biotic factors influence body temperature and activity timing in sand lizards (Lacerta agilis). We collected body temperature data and dorsal colouration measurements from two populations in Czechia and used structural equation modelling to disentangle direct and indirect effects. Environmental temperature was the strongest predictor of body temperature, showing a positive effect, whereas body size and site had negative effects. Colouration did not directly affect body temperature but significantly influenced activity timing, with darker and more saturated individuals emerging earlier in the day. This result suggests that colour-mediated thermoregulation in sand lizards is primarily behavioural, shaping basking opportunities rather than passively dictating heat gain. Our findings demonstrate how environmental, morphological, and behavioural factors collectively shape lizard thermoregulation, with colour primarily influencing activity timing rather than directly affecting body temperature.

Druh

J_imp - Článek v periodiku v databázi Web of Science

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

10613 - Zoology

Projekt

—

Návaznosti

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Rok uplatnění

2025

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

Journal of Vertebrate Biology

ISSN

2694-7684

e-ISSN

2694-7684

Svazek periodika

74

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

25046

Stát vydavatele periodika

CZ - Česká republika

Počet stran výsledku

14

Strana od-do

25046

Kód UT WoS článku

001564968100001

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

2-s2.0-105021116378