T. Flatt et al., Phenotypic variation in an oviparous montane lizard (Bassiana duperreyi): the effects of thermal and hydric incubation environments, BIOL J LINN, 74(3), 2001, pp. 339-350
Recent studies have shown that incubation temperatures can profoundly affec
t the phenotypes of hatchling lizards, but the effects of hydric incubation
environments remain controversial. We examined incubation-induced phenotyp
ic variation in Bassiana duperreyi (Gray, 1938; Sauria: Scincidae), an ovip
arous montane lizard from south-eastern Australia. We incubated eggs from t
his species in four laboratory treatments, mimicking cool and moist, cool a
nd dry, warm and moist, and warm and dry natural nest-sites, and assessed s
everal morphological and behavioural traits of lizards after hatching. Incu
bation temperature influenced a lizard's hatching success, incubation perio
d, tail length and antipredator behaviour, whereas variation in hydric cond
itions did not engender significant phenotypic variation for most traits. H
owever, moisture affected incubation period slightly differently in males a
nd females, and for a given snout-vent length moisture interacted weakly wi
th temperature to affect lizard body mass. Although incubation conditions c
an substantially affect phenotypic variation among hatchling lizards, the a
bsence of strong hydric effects suggests that hatchling lizards react less
plastically to variation in moisture levels than they do to thermal conditi
ons. Thus, our data do not support the generalization that water availabili
ty during embryogenesis is more important than temperature in determining t
he phenotypes of hatchling reptiles. (C) 2001 The Linnean Society of London
.