Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo, Wolfe Hall Suite 1235, 2801 W Bancroft St., Toledo, OH, 43606-3390, USA.
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo, Wolfe Hall Suite 1235, 2801 W Bancroft St., Toledo, OH, 43606-3390, USA.
J Therm Biol. 2019 Aug;84:74-82. doi: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2019.06.005. Epub 2019 Jun 6.
A variety of phenotypic traits in reptiles are affected by conditions during embryonic development, a phenomenon known as developmental plasticity. In particular, many traits in which expression changes with temperature, such as locomotor performance or growth rates, are also developmentally plastic. However, much less is known about the extent to which traits associated with thermal ecology, such as thermal tolerance and behavioral thermoregulation, are developmentally plastic. Here, we review the literature on developmental plasticity in physiological and behavioral traits associated with thermal ecology in reptiles. Most studies on developmental plasticity of thermal traits have assessed plasticity in behavioral traits, such as selected temperature or time spent basking, and these studies have found mixed support for the presence of developmental plasticity in behavioral thermal traits. In contrast, very few studies have assessed developmental plasticity in physiological traits, yet these studies generally support a developmentally plastic basis for thermal tolerance. Most studies have only tested for developmental plasticity in thermal ecology traits at the hatchling stage, which limits our understanding of the benefits of developmental plasticity to individuals, or the adaptive significance of developmental plasticity in populations. We recommend that research on developmental plasticity in reptile thermal ecology be expanded to include incubation conditions other than mean temperature, consider traits associated with cold-tolerance, and endeavor to understand how developmental plasticity in thermal ecology traits is beneficial. In particular, determining how long differences persist over ontogeny, and testing for benefits of developmental plasticity across multiple life stages, are crucial first steps towards understanding the adaptive significance of developmental plasticity in thermal ecology traits.
爬行动物的许多表型特征受胚胎发育过程中的条件影响，这种现象被称为发育可塑性。特别是许多表达随温度变化的特征，如运动性能或生长速度，也是发育可塑性的。然而，与热生态学相关的特征（如热耐受性和行为体温调节）在多大程度上具有发育可塑性，人们知之甚少。在这里，我们回顾了有关爬行动物热生态学相关生理和行为特征发育可塑性的文献。大多数关于热特征发育可塑性的研究都评估了行为特征的可塑性，例如选择的温度或晒背时间，这些研究对行为热特征的发育可塑性存在混合支持。相比之下，很少有研究评估生理特征的发育可塑性，但这些研究通常支持热耐受性具有发育可塑性的基础。大多数研究仅在孵化阶段测试热生态学特征的发育可塑性，这限制了我们对个体发育可塑性对热生态学特征的益处或适应性意义的理解。我们建议扩大对爬行动物热生态学发育可塑性的研究，包括除平均温度以外的孵化条件，考虑与耐寒性相关的特征，并努力了解热生态学特征的发育可塑性如何有益。特别是，确定差异在个体发育过程中持续的时间，并在多个生命阶段测试发育可塑性的益处，是理解热生态学特征发育可塑性的适应性意义的关键第一步。
