Selected Body Temperature,Thermal Tolerance and Influence of Temperature on Food Assimilation and Locomotor Performance in Lacertid Lizards,Eremias brenchleyi

Selected body temperature (Tsel),critical thermal maximum (Tcmax),critical thermal minimum (Tcmin),and influence of temperature on food assimilation and locomotor performance were studied in adult male lacertid lizards,Eremias brenchleyi,from a population in Suzhou,Anhui,eastern China.Tsel,Tcmax and Tcmin were 33.7,43.6 and 3.3℃,respectively.Temperature significantly affected food passage time,food intake,apparent digestive coefficient (ADC),assimilation efficiency (AE) and locomotor performance of lizards.The food passage time decreased with increase in temperature from 26 to 30℃ and increased at higher temperatures.Food intake,ADC and AE were lower at 26 and 28℃ than at higher temperatures.The sprint speed increased with increase in body temperature from 19 to 34℃,and then decreased dramatically at higher temperatures.The length of continuous locomotion was apparently greater at 31 and 34℃ than at other lower or higher temperatures,and decreased dramatically at the body temperatures higher than 36℃.The average number of stops in the racetrack was significantly greater in lizards with body temperatures higher than 34℃ than in those with body temperatures from 19 to 34℃.Our results suggest that the optimal body temperatures for locomotion are 31-34℃,and the body temperature has pervasive effects on food assimilation and locomotion performance in lizards Eremias brenchleyi.