The Northern Andes mountains present challenging environments for the thermoregulation of squamate reptiles. Daily temperature fluctuations pose significant challenges for the behavioral and physiological adjustments required by these ectothermic organisms. This chapter reviews the thermal biology traits of squamate reptiles studied in this region, analyzing key findings within both geographic and species-specific contexts. The strategies that individuals use to cope with daily temperature variations—comparable to seasonal changes in temperate regions—differ across various temporal scales. Some species alternate between thermoconformism and active thermoregulation on different days within the same climatic period or across different periods. The thermoregulatory patterns of Northern Andes squamates are compared with those of squamate reptiles from temperate and other tropical environments. Variation in traits such as critical thermal minimum and maximum, as well as other emerging thermal traits, is analyzed within both geographic and comparative contexts. Finally, it discusses the sole study on the thermal ecology of communal nests of a lizard species in the high mountains of the tropical Andes, summarizing and contextualizing the findings within the broader framework of thermal trait characterization in squamates.

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Thermal Biology of Squamate Reptiles in the High Mountains of the Northern Andes

  • Martha Lucía Calderón-Espinosa,
  • Miguel Ángel Méndez-Galeano,
  • Alexandra Montoya-Cruz

摘要

The Northern Andes mountains present challenging environments for the thermoregulation of squamate reptiles. Daily temperature fluctuations pose significant challenges for the behavioral and physiological adjustments required by these ectothermic organisms. This chapter reviews the thermal biology traits of squamate reptiles studied in this region, analyzing key findings within both geographic and species-specific contexts. The strategies that individuals use to cope with daily temperature variations—comparable to seasonal changes in temperate regions—differ across various temporal scales. Some species alternate between thermoconformism and active thermoregulation on different days within the same climatic period or across different periods. The thermoregulatory patterns of Northern Andes squamates are compared with those of squamate reptiles from temperate and other tropical environments. Variation in traits such as critical thermal minimum and maximum, as well as other emerging thermal traits, is analyzed within both geographic and comparative contexts. Finally, it discusses the sole study on the thermal ecology of communal nests of a lizard species in the high mountains of the tropical Andes, summarizing and contextualizing the findings within the broader framework of thermal trait characterization in squamates.