Data from: Basking behavior predicts the evolution of heat tolerance in Australian rainforest lizards

There is pressing urgency to understand how tropical ectotherms can behaviorally and physiologically respond to climate warming. We examine how basking behavior and thermal environment interact to influence evolutionary variation in thermal physiology of multiple species of lygosomine rainforest skinks from the Wet Tropics of northeastern Queensland, Australia (AWT). These tropical lizards are behaviorally specialized to exploit canopy or sun, and are distributed across steep thermal clines in the AWT. Using phylogenetic analyses, we demonstrate that physiological parameters are either associated with changes in local thermal habitat or to basking behavior, but not both. Cold tolerance, the optimal sprint speed, and performance breadth are primarily influenced by local thermal environment. Specifically, montane lizards are more cool tolerant, have broader performance breadths, and higher optimum sprinting temperatures than their lowland counterparts. Heat tolerance, in contrast, is strongly affected by basking behavior: there are two evolutionary optima, with basking species having considerably higher heat tolerance than shade skinks, with no effect of elevation. These distinct responses among traits indicate the multiple selective pressures and constraints that shape the evolution of thermal performance. We discuss how behavior and physiology interact to shape organisms' vulnerability and potential resilience to climate change.当前亟需阐明热带外温动物如何通过行为与生理途径响应气候变暖。本研究聚焦澳大利亚昆士兰州东北部湿热带地区（Australian Wet Tropics, AWT）的多种石龙子亚科雨林石龙子，探讨晒背行为与热环境如何共同作用，影响其热生理特征的演化变异。这些热带蜥蜴在行为上特化利用林冠遮阴或直射阳光，且分布于该地区内梯度显著的热气候梯度带中。本研究通过系统发育分析发现，石龙子的生理参数要么与当地热生境的变化相关，要么与晒背行为相关，二者不存在协同关联。耐寒性、最佳疾跑速度以及运动性能宽度主要受当地热生境调控。具体而言，山地蜥蜴相较于低地同类，具备更强的耐寒性、更宽的运动性能宽度以及更高的最佳疾跑温度。与之相对，耐热性则显著受晒背行为调控：存在两类演化最优型，进行晒背的物种其耐热性远高于遮阴型石龙子，且海拔高度对其无显著影响。不同性状的差异化响应，揭示了塑造热性能演化的多重选择压力与演化约束。本研究还探讨了行为与生理如何协同作用，决定生物对气候变化的脆弱性与潜在恢复能力。