Warmer isn't always better: Performance eurythermy in a cold‐climate gecko

Abstract

Most aspects of the lives of ectotherms are temperature dependent. Achieving the warmer body temperatures (Tb s) typically required for optimal performance can be particularly challenging for nocturnal ectotherms. Homonota darwinii-the world's southernmost gecko-is broadly distributed in southern Argentina (35-52 °S latitude) where cold climates over parts of its range likely pose an additional performance challenge for this nocturnal lizard. We hypothesized that the southernmost populations of this species would be the most thermally challenged, as evidenced by a decline in temperature-dependent sprint performance with increasing latitude. A temperature-dependent depression in locomotory performance may indicate suboptimal performance in other thermally dependent traits linked to fitness (e.g., foraging efficiency, metabolism). We measured sprint performance at five ecologically relevant Tb s for four populations spanning most of the latitudinal range of H. darwinii. We also recorded annual operative temperatures (Te s) at each site on the surface and in refuges used by the geckos. Sprint data indicated differences in maximum performance over the range of H. darwinii, but not the latitudinal decline predicted. Instead, sprint performance was likely influenced by climatic variability associated with each site's elevation. Geckos from most populations had a broad range of Tb s over which sprint performance was optimal, albeit twofold to threefold lower than other geckos. This is indicative of eurythermy, the ability to perform well over a wide range of temperatures. We discuss this finding in the context of alternative hypotheses concerning performance tradeoffs in nocturnal ectotherms.