The Effects of Climate Change On The Survival of Common Lizards ‘Zootoca vivipara.’
In a recent study published by the Open Access Journal, researchers tested the effects of increased climatic conditions on the population growth of ‘Zootoca vivipara.’ These common lizards are found in vast numbers, especially in Europe. However, following this new study, their numbers could steadily decrease because of the increasingly hot weather conditions. While they still showed fast-breeding rates, most of them died at quite a young age.
The Research Methodology
The researchers used the Metatron system, where they created two separate climatic conditions. In one, they used the standard temperate conditions of today while in the other, they set up a 2 degrees warmer environment, which is the predicted value at the end of the 21st century. In each setting, they placed 18 lizard populations for one year. This would help them in identifying the differences in the reproductive, survival and growth rates.
What Did The Results Show?
Increase In Reproduction and Mortality Rates
The two-degrees warmer temperatures showed various advantages as well as disadvantages. The beneficial factor is that there was an increase in growth and reproduction, especially in the more juvenile lizards. The warmer temperatures also triggered the adult females to engage in the second phase of reproduction while those in colder conditions reproduced only once
It, however, endangered the lives of older lizards and drastically reduced their once growing numbers. Besides, depending on the emission of carbon, the lizard population might decrease by almost 30%. Hence, researchers concluded that within the next 20 years, the lizard population would be almost extinct.
The Lizards Preferred To Stay In The Cooler Patches of Shade
Lizards in the warmer climate preferred to travel between the limited numbers of bushes. By looking for these more relaxed environments, they were able to hibernate and reproduce during winter safely. The researchers also discovered that the optimal range of temperature found in the shades allowed them to eat and reproduce.
Difficulty In Thermoregulation
This is the process where cold-blooded reptiles use to regulate body temperature. Lizards prefer to do this through insolation or in areas with sufficient conduction levels. Insolation means they can absorb sun rays while conduction is absorbing the ground’s heat. In the warmer environment, the lizards absorbed too much heat and were unable to cool off quickly. Hence, many of them turned to the few shaded areas or burrowed holes to reduce their body temperature.
Conclusion
Climatic changes pose a considerable concern in the lives of reptiles whose ecology and biology are highly dependent on weather conditions. This study, therefore, shows that the lizard population faces extinction if the temperature levels continue rising. These small, cold-blooded crawlers are quite sensitive to changes in climate, and many researchers predict their extinction by early 2080. It’s now clear that the further they move between scorching conditions, the more they will find it hard to cool their bodies and reproduce.