Data from: Plasticity of thermoregulatory behaviour in response to the thermal environment by widespread and alpine reptile species

Phenotypic plasticity plays a central role in determining how organisms respond to environmental change over short timescales. Despite this, we know little about how phenotypic plasticity varies between populations or species. We tested the extent of plasticity in basking behaviour in low- and high-altitude populations of two widespread lowland and two highland species of a cool-climate lizard genus: Niveoscincus. We found evidence of divergence in basking behaviour between populations and species, with highland species and high-altitude populations of all species basking more than the widespread lowland species and low-altitude populations. Furthermore, we found differences in the extent of behavioural plasticity between species. Widespread lowland species altered their basking behaviour depending on basking opportunity whereas the highland species maintained high levels of basking independent of basking opportunity. These differences in basking behaviour were concordant with the differences in body temperature across all populations, species and treatments. Combined, this suggests that divergence in thermoregulatory behaviour and thermophysiology between populations and species may have been facilitated by adaptive behavioural plasticity within populations. We discuss this and the implications of our findings for the ability of these animals to cope with ongoing climate change.

表型可塑性（phenotypic plasticity）在生物短时间尺度内响应环境变化的过程中发挥核心作用。尽管如此，我们对不同种群或物种间表型可塑性的变异模式仍缺乏深入了解。本研究以凉适应性蜥蜴属（cool-climate lizard genus）Niveoscincus的2个广布低地物种、2个高地物种的低海拔与高海拔种群为研究对象，检测了其晒日光行为（basking behaviour）的可塑性程度。研究发现，种群与物种间的晒日光行为存在显著分化：所有高地物种及各物种的高海拔种群的晒日光频次均高于广布低地物种与低海拔种群。此外，不同物种间行为可塑性的程度亦存在差异：广布低地物种的晒日光行为会随晒日光机会的变化而调整，而高地物种则始终维持高水平的晒日光行为，不受晒日光机会的影响。上述晒日光行为的差异与所有种群、物种及处理组间的体温差异相一致。综合来看，这表明种群与物种间的体温调节行为（thermoregulatory behaviour）和热生理特性（thermophysiology）的分化，可能得益于种群内部的适应性行为可塑性。本研究讨论了该结果，以及本研究发现对于这些动物应对当前持续气候变化的能力所具有的启示意义。