Early hatching enhances survival despite beneficial phenotypic effects of late-season developmental environments.

ABSTRACT: Seasonal shifts in environmental conditions provide predictable cues to which organisms can respond in adaptive ways. For example, seasonal changes in temperature can induce phenotypes at different times of the year that have season-specific fitness benefits. Here, we tested the hypothesis that embryo responses to seasonal changes in thermal environments are adaptively matched to the timing of reproduction (environmental-matching hypothesis). We collected eggs of the brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei) from early and late seasons, and exposed them to early and late thermal regimes that mimic nest temperatures. After measuring offspring morphology and performance, we quantified their survival in the field. Females had higher fecundity, but produced smaller eggs, early in the season co

SUBMITTER: Pearson PR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5879638 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature