Abstract
Many desert lizards show reduced rates of cutaneous water loss (CWL) compared to their counterparts from more humid environments. It is not clear yet whether reduced CWL is connected to the taxonomic position of the lizard studied, or is affected more by environmental or experimental conditions. To investigate this, we measured the skin resistance to water transfer, R s, in five closely related lizard taxa of the genus Agama. These diurnal lizards are distributed in Israel from mesic-Mediterranean to extreme desert biotopes. The highest R s (738 s cm-1) and the lowest CWL (0.160 mg cm-2 h-1) were found in Agama sinaita, which lives in the most arid habitat. The lowest R s (234 s cm-1) and the highest CWL (0.548 mg cm-2 h-1) were found in A. stellio ssp., which occupies mesic habitats. In addition, only the desert species were able to change their R s in accordance with the changing experimental conditions. These R s changes, which probably reflect vasomotor responses, were more pronounced in A. sinaita and presumably enable the desert species to control their CWL in a hot and dry environment.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
