Fluctuating Asymmetry as an Indicator of Environmental Stress From Off‐Highway Vehicles

Abstract

Abstract: With human activities increasingly impacting natural resources in relatively remote locations, there is a need for simple and efficient methods to explore the ecological consequences of these activities. Little is understood about the influences of off‐highway vehicle (OHV) use on wildlife populations. We examined the effect of OHV activity on developmental instability in a phrynosomatid lizard (i.e., western fence lizard [Sceloporus occidentalis]) in the western Great Basin, USA. We measured fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of bilateral head‐scale patterns in populations of lizards at 3 OHV and 3 non‐OHV sites. Fluctuating asymmetry was higher at OHV sites relative to non‐OHV sites, supporting the idea that OHV activity can stress wildlife populations. We found FA to be a good tool for uncovering responses to stress in natural populations, and we recommend exploring FA as a means of uncovering developmental instability in other systems that merit conservation interest.