Climate Change: Lizard Embryos Die When Subjected To Lethal Temperatures

Researchers have made a disturbing discovery about the impact of climate change on North American lizards. Due to high temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit, within minutes, lizard embryos die due to immobility and their inability to seek proper shade. When their surrounding soil becomes too hot, their dwelling simply becomes unlivable for the lizards and they die.

"Lizards put all of their eggs in one basket, so a single heat wave can kill an entire group of eggs," Ofir Levy, lead investigator of the study and postdoctoral fellow with ASU School of Life Sciences, said in a news release. "If mothers don't dig deeper nests to lay their eggs, we expect this species to decline throughout the United States."

Researchers noted how female lizards lay their eggs in the spring and summer, providing nests and leaving their offspring to develop for over two months. Typically, mothers look for shadier soils so that their offspring can avoid the heat. However, even if the lizards lay eggs in cooler places, nests may still exceed the temperatures that embryonic lizards can tolerate. Furthermore, even if a lizard embryo survives, repeated exposure to above average temperatures can negatively affect its physiology and behavior.

In this recent study, the researchers used a climate model to help predict how often heat waves in the past and future contributed to the death of developing lizards. Areas in the United States reaching particularly high temperatures, even in the shade, could spread from 3 percent to 48 percent of the country within the next century, according to scientists.

"Since this year promises to be the hottest on record, we are asking whether organisms, like lizards, can adjust to their warming world," Michael Angilletta, professor and senior sustainability scientist with ASU School of Life Sciences, added. "It's critical that we acquire detailed knowledge about what temperatures these lizards and other animals can tolerate throughout the life cycle, not just as adults."

"Because lizards are prey for animals such as birds, snakes and mammals, the harmful effects of climate change on embryonic lizards could also negatively affect other species," Levy concluded. 

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

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