Embryonic and post-embryonic responses to high-elevation hypoxia in a low-elevation lizard. 2020

Xinghan Li, and Pengfei Wu, and Liang Ma, and Christopher Huebner, and Baojun Sun, and Shuran Li
College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China.

Low-elevation species can migrate toward higher elevations to survive in a warming world. However, animals' responses to hypoxia when migrating to high elevations have rarely been addressed. To identify the response of low-elevation lizards to high-elevation hypoxia, we collected field body temperatures (Tfb ) and operative temperatures (Te ) of lizards (Eremias argus) from a low-elevation population (1036 m) and a high-elevation population (2036 m), and then determined adult thermal physiology, embryonic development, and hatchling phenotypes after acclimating low-elevation lizards and incubating their eggs in conditions mimicking the low-elevation oxygen condition (18.5% O2 ) and high-elevation oxygen (hypoxic) condition (16.5% O2 ). Our study revealed that Tfb and Te were higher for the low-elevation population compared to the high-elevation population. We also found adults from low elevation acclimated to hypoxia preferred lower body temperatures, but did not show changes in locomotor performance or growth. In addition, hypoxia did not affect embryonic development (hatching time and success) or hatchling phenotypes (body size and locomotor performance). These results suggest that adult lizards from low elevations can respond to hypoxia-induced stress when migrating to high elevations by behaviorally thermoregulating to lower body temperatures in order to sustain normal functions. Similarly, low-elevation embryos can develop normally (with unchanged hatching success and offspring phenotypes) under the high-elevation hypoxic condition. This study highlights that low-elevation populations of a species that inhabits a range of elevations can buffer the impact of high-elevation hypoxic conditions to some degree and thus attain similar fitness to the source population.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008116 Lizards Reptiles within the order Squamata that generally possess limbs, moveable EYELIDS, and EXTERNAL EAR openings, although there are some species which lack one or more of these structures. Chameleons,Geckos,Chameleon,Gecko,Lizard
D008297 Male Males
D010100 Oxygen An element with atomic symbol O, atomic number 8, and atomic weight [15.99903; 15.99977]. It is the most abundant element on earth and essential for respiration. Dioxygen,Oxygen-16,Oxygen 16
D010641 Phenotype The outward appearance of the individual. It is the product of interactions between genes, and between the GENOTYPE and the environment. Phenotypes
D001833 Body Temperature Regulation The processes of heating and cooling that an organism uses to control its temperature. Heat Loss,Thermoregulation,Regulation, Body Temperature,Temperature Regulation, Body,Body Temperature Regulations,Heat Losses,Loss, Heat,Losses, Heat,Regulations, Body Temperature,Temperature Regulations, Body,Thermoregulations
D002681 China A country spanning from central Asia to the Pacific Ocean. Inner Mongolia,Manchuria,People's Republic of China,Sinkiang,Mainland China
D004625 Embryo, Nonmammalian The developmental entity of a fertilized egg (ZYGOTE) in animal species other than MAMMALS. For chickens, use CHICK EMBRYO. Embryonic Structures, Nonmammalian,Embryo, Non-Mammalian,Embryonic Structures, Non-Mammalian,Nonmammalian Embryo,Nonmammalian Embryo Structures,Nonmammalian Embryonic Structures,Embryo Structure, Nonmammalian,Embryo Structures, Nonmammalian,Embryo, Non Mammalian,Embryonic Structure, Non-Mammalian,Embryonic Structure, Nonmammalian,Embryonic Structures, Non Mammalian,Embryos, Non-Mammalian,Embryos, Nonmammalian,Non-Mammalian Embryo,Non-Mammalian Embryonic Structure,Non-Mammalian Embryonic Structures,Non-Mammalian Embryos,Nonmammalian Embryo Structure,Nonmammalian Embryonic Structure,Nonmammalian Embryos,Structure, Non-Mammalian Embryonic,Structure, Nonmammalian Embryo,Structure, Nonmammalian Embryonic,Structures, Non-Mammalian Embryonic,Structures, Nonmammalian Embryo,Structures, Nonmammalian Embryonic
D005260 Female Females
D000064 Acclimatization Adaptation to a new environment or to a change in the old. Acclimation
D000531 Altitude A vertical distance measured from a known level on the surface of a planet or other celestial body. Altitudes

Related Publications

Xinghan Li, and Pengfei Wu, and Liang Ma, and Christopher Huebner, and Baojun Sun, and Shuran Li
August 2010, Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology,
Xinghan Li, and Pengfei Wu, and Liang Ma, and Christopher Huebner, and Baojun Sun, and Shuran Li
December 2021, The Journal of experimental biology,
Xinghan Li, and Pengfei Wu, and Liang Ma, and Christopher Huebner, and Baojun Sun, and Shuran Li
September 1995, The Journal of experimental zoology,
Xinghan Li, and Pengfei Wu, and Liang Ma, and Christopher Huebner, and Baojun Sun, and Shuran Li
May 2014, Oecologia,
Xinghan Li, and Pengfei Wu, and Liang Ma, and Christopher Huebner, and Baojun Sun, and Shuran Li
June 2013, Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology,
Xinghan Li, and Pengfei Wu, and Liang Ma, and Christopher Huebner, and Baojun Sun, and Shuran Li
June 1973, Journal of applied physiology,
Xinghan Li, and Pengfei Wu, and Liang Ma, and Christopher Huebner, and Baojun Sun, and Shuran Li
August 2017, Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology,
Xinghan Li, and Pengfei Wu, and Liang Ma, and Christopher Huebner, and Baojun Sun, and Shuran Li
March 2021, Biology letters,
Xinghan Li, and Pengfei Wu, and Liang Ma, and Christopher Huebner, and Baojun Sun, and Shuran Li
June 1974, The Journal of experimental biology,
Xinghan Li, and Pengfei Wu, and Liang Ma, and Christopher Huebner, and Baojun Sun, and Shuran Li
January 2003, Doklady biological sciences : proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Biological sciences sections,
Copied contents to your clipboard!