Effects of food intake and hydration state on behavioral thermoregulation and locomotor activity in the tropidurid lizard Tropidurus catalanensis

Theoretical models predict that lizards adjust their body temperature through behavioral thermoregulation as a function of food availability. However, behavioral thermoregulation is also governed by interactions among physiological and ecological factors other than food availability, such as hydration state, and sometimes it can even conflict with the locomotor activity of animals. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of food intake and hydration state on behavioral thermoregulation and voluntary locomotor activity in the lizard Tropidurus catalanensis. We hypothesized that food intake can influence behavioral thermoregulation via an interaction with hydration state.We also hypothesized that lizards should endeavor to spend as little time as possible to reach their preferred body temperature to defend other physiological and/or ecological functions. We collected lizards in the field and brought them to the laboratory to measure the preferred temperature selected in a thermal gradient ...