Captive Longevity in Lacerta laevis laevis (Reptilia: Sauria): Hypothetical Effects of Sex, Temperature and Climate

Yael Bogin, Nomi Por Efrati, Yehudah L. Werner

Abstract


Under uniform laboratory conditions, wild-caught Lacerta laevis laevis Gray (Reptilia: Sauria) that had originated from a warmer environment appeared to live longer than those that had originated from a cooler environment (in both groups, males appeared to live longer than females). In this first discussion of potential factors of longevity in Lacertidae, this observation is considered in relation to literature data from two aspects: (a) direct temperature effects on physiological longevity of ectotherms, especially fish; (b) climatic effects on demography and age structure of lizard populations in the wild.


Keywords


lizard; life span; sex; temperature; climate; Israel

Full Text:

PDF

References


Adolph S. C. and Porter W. P. (1993), «Temperature, activity, and lizard life histories», Am. Naturalist, 142, 273 – 295.

Adolph S. C. and Porter W. P. (1996), «Growth, seasonality, and lizard life histories: age and size at maturity», Oikos, 77, 267 – 278.

Aellen V. (1963), «La durée de la vie chez les animaux: les reptiles et les batraciens», Musèes de Genéve, 34, 8 – 12.

Allee W. C., Emerson A. E., Park O., Park T., and Schmidt K. P. (1949), Principles of Animal Ecology, Saunders, Philadelphia – London.

Atlas of Israel (1970), 2 Edition, Survey of Israel, Ministry of Labour, Jerusalem, Elsevier, Amsterdam.

Austad S.l (1992) «On the nature of aging», Am. Mus. Novitates, February 1992, 24 – 52.

Ballinger R. E. (1983), «Life history variations», in: R. B. Huey, E. R. Pianka, and T. W. Schoener (eds.), Lizard Ecology, Studies of a Model Organism, Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge (Mass.), pp. 241 – 260, 465 – 473.

Bennett A. F. and Dawson W. R. (1976), «Metabolism», in: C. Gans and W. R. Dawson (eds.), Biology of the Reptilia, Vol. 5, Acad. Press, London, pp. 127 – 223.

Beverton R. J. H. and Holt S. J. (1959), «A review of the lifespans and mortality rates of fish in nature, and their relation to growth and other physiological characteristics», in: G. E. W. Wolstenholme and M. O’Connor (eds.), CIBA Foundation Colloquia on Ageing. Vol. 5. The Lifespan of Animals, Churchill, London, pp. 142 – 180.

Bogin Y. and Werner Y. L. (1995), «Comparative longevity of Israeli chamaeleons (Reptilia: Sauria: Chamaeleo chamaeleon sspp.)», Herpetol. J., 5, 239 – 240.

in den Bosch H. A. J. (1990), «Bemerkenswertes Alter einer ionischen Kieleidechse Algyroides mereoticus», Die Eidechse, 1990, 16 – 17.

in den Bosch H. A. J. (1995), Personal communication to Y. L. Werner, dated November 13, 1995.

Dunham A. E., Miles D. B., and Reznick D. N. (1988), «Life history patterns in squamate reptiles», in: C. Gans and R. B. Huey (eds.), Biology of the Reptilia, Vol. 16, Alan R. Liss, New York, pp. 441 – 522.

Ferguson G. W., Bohlen, C. H., and Woolley H. W. (1980), «Sceloporus undulatus: comparative life history and regulation of a Kansas population», Ecology, 61, 313 – 322.

Forsman A. (1995), «Opposing fitness consequences of colour pattern in male and female snakes», J. Evol. Biol., 8, 53 – 70.

Garland T., Jr., and Adolph S. C. (1994), «Why not do two-species comparative studies: limitations on inferring adaptation», Physiol. Zool., 67, 797 – 828.

Huey R. B. and Webster T. P. (1976), «Thermal biology of Anolis lizards in a complex fauna: the cristatellus group on Puerto Rico», Ecology, 57, 985 – 994.

Ishihara S. (1971a), «Longevity of the lizard, Takydromus tachydromoides (Schlegel)», Acta Herpetologica Japonica, 4, 19 [in Japanese].

Ishihara S. (1971b), «On the average span of life on the lizard, Takydromus tachydromoides (Schlegel)», Bull. Kyoto Univ. Educ. Ser. B., 39, 7 – 12.

Liu R. K. and Walford R. L. (1966), «Increased growth and life span with lowered ambient temperature in the annual fish Cynolebias adloffi», Nature (Lond.), 212, 1277 – 1278.

Liu R. K. and Walford R. L. (1970), «Observations on the lifespans of several species of annual fishes and of the world’s smallest fishes», Exp. Gerontol., 5, 241 – 246.

Loeb J. (1908), «Über den Temperaturkoeffizienten für die Lebensdauer kaltblütiger Tiere und über die Ursache des natürlichen Todes», Pflüg. Arch. für die gesamte Physiol. des Menschen und der Tiere, 124, 411 – 426.

Milstead W. W. (ed.) (1967), Lizard Ecology: a Symposium, Univ. of Missouri Press, Columbia (Missouri).

Niewiarowski P. H. (1994), «Understanding geographic life-history variation in lizards», in: L. J. Vitt and E. R. Pianka (eds.), Lizard Ecology, Historical and Experimental Perspectives, Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton (NJ), pp. 31 – 49.

Oliver J. A. (1955), The Natural History of North American Amphibians and Reptiles, Van Nostrand, Princeton (NJ).

Por Efrati N. (1991), Social Behavior in Two Populations of Lacerta laevis laevis which Differ in Sexual Dichromatism of Throat Color, and the Question of the Importance of Color for the Identification of Sex and Population. M. Sc. Thesis (unpublished), the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem [in Hebrew].

Sinervo B. (1990), «Evolution of thermal physiology and growth rate between populations of the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)», Oecologia, 83, 228 – 237.

Slavens F. L. and Slavens K. (1993), Reptiles and Amphibians in Captivity. Breeding — Longevity and Inventory, current January 1, 1993, Slaveware, Seattle (WA).

Snider A. T. and Bowler J. K. (1992), Longevity of Reptiles and Amphibians in North American Collections, Soc. for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Herpetological Circular 21.

Strijbosch H. and Creemers R. C. M. (1988), «Comparative demography of sympatric populations of Lacerta vivipara and Lacerta agilis», Oecologia (Berlin), 76, 20 – 26.

Turner F. B. (1977), «The dynamics of populations of squamates, crocodilians and rhynchocephalians», in: C. Gans and D. W. Tinkle (eds.), Biology of the Reptilia, Vol. 7, Acad. Press, London, pp. 157 – 264.

Walford R. L. (1983), Maximum Life Span, Norton, New York – London.

Werner Y. L., Frankenberg E., Volokita M., and Harari R. (1993), «Longevity of geckos (Reptilia: Lacertilia: Gekkonoidea) in captivity: an analytical review incorporating new data», Israel J. Zool., 39, 105 – 124.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-1999-6-2-87-91

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


You can subscribe to the print or electronic version of the journal on the site of EastView Company. If you have any questions, please write to the email sales@ivis.ru