Egg incubation temperature influences the growth and foraging behaviour of juvenile lizards

Abstract

After laying their eggs, oviparous reptiles are reliant on the external environment to provide the required incubation conditions for successful embryonic development. Egg incubation temperature can impact the behaviour of various species of reptiles, but previous experiments have focused on the impact of incubation environment on hatchlings, with only a limited number of studies focussing on the longer-term behavioural consequences of incubation environment. This study investigated the effects of developmental environment on bearded dragon lizards (Pogona vitticeps) that were incubated at different temperatures within the natural range; half of them were incubated at a ‘hot’ temperature (30 ± 3 °C) and half at a ‘cold’ temperature (27 ± 3 °C). The growth and foraging behaviour of the lizards was then compared over 18 weeks of development. Although the lizards incubated at a cool temperatures grew more quickly, those incubated at the hotter temperature completed the foraging task more often and had significantly faster running speeds. These results show that egg incubation temperature impacts the foraging behaviour of juvenile lizards and suggest a potential trade-off between growth and foraging speed, which could influence an animal’s life history trajectory.