The role of ecological interactions on the physiological flexibility of lizards

Abstract

Summary An organism's ability to adjust its physiological traits to changes in environmental conditions is central for its ecological success. However, the effect of ecological interactions on physiological flexibility has rarely been investigated. Here we carry out a factorial experiment to analyse how food limitation (a potential result of competition) and tail loss (a potential result of sub‐lethal predation) affect anatomical and physiological traits of the South American lizard Liolaemus nitidus. The size of several internal organs was affected by food availability. Small intestine mass increased with food consumption, allowing animals to keep constant digestibility at greater levels of digesta, which in turn permitted higher rates of food assimilation. Organs related to energy storage reached larger sizes in autotomized animals with high food availability, but tail regeneration rate after 3 weeks did not change with food availability. Metabolic rate was affected by tail loss, and animals regenerating their tail showed higher metabolic rates than tailed ones. Because this increase in metabolic rate was independent of internal organ mass, a local effect of tail regeneration process (e.g. cell proliferation) on metabolic rate is suggested. When anatomical and metabolic data are jointly considered it follows that lizards adopt different physiological strategies, changing both energetic inputs and expenditures. This fact illustrates the complex interplay between ecological factors and physiological flexibility, which ultimately determine an organism's fitness.