Behavioural and physiological ecology of reptiles

爬行动物的行为和生理生态学

• 批准号: 261260-2008
• 负责人: BlouinDemers, Gabriel
• 金额: $ 2.15万
• 依托单位: University of Ottawa
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2012-01-01 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=497634
• 关键词: Behavioural; physiological; ecology; reptiles

Physiology has pervasive effects on most facets of ecology. Recently, it has been argued that the temperature and body size dependence of metabolic rate could explain the latitudinal gradient of increasing biodiversity from the poles to the equator. It was also proposes that the temperature and body size dependence of metabolic rate controls ecological processes at all levels of organization from individuals to the biosphere. While this new metabolic theory of ecology has stirred much controversy, it is clear that physiological processes, including metabolic rate, are temperature dependent. The vast majority of animals are ectotherms and, unlike endotherms, have limited capacity for buffering the ubiquitous effects of body temperature on all of their developmental, physiological, and behavioural processes. Thus, since reptiles are ectotherms, variation in their body temperature ultimately has a significant impact on fitness, but this impact remains only partially understood. Ectotherms use behavioural thermoregulation to avoid reduced capacities associated with excessively high or low body temperatures. Reptiles regulate body temperature mainly through behaviour and choice of microclimate. Thus, thermoregulation is tightly linked to habitat selection and to behaviour. Because thermoregulation affects fitness through the temperature dependence of physiological processes, we can establish relationships between behavioural thermoregulation, physiology, and fitness in reptiles. My long-term research objective is to decipher how behaviour and phenotype, modulated by physiological constraints, affect whole-organism performance and, thus, fitness-related life-history traits. I use a functional evolutionary approach and most of my work integrates controlled laboratory experiments with field observations.

生理学对大多数生态方面都有普遍的影响。最近，有人认为，代谢率的温度和体型依赖性可以解释从极点到赤道增加生物多样性的纬度梯度。还提出，代谢率的温度和体大小依赖性控制着从个体到生物圈的各个组织的生态过程。尽管这种新的生态代谢理论引起了很多争议，但很明显，包括代谢率在内的生理过程是依赖温度的。绝大多数动物都是屈光，与吸热剂不同，可以缓冲体温对所有发育，生理和行为过程的无处不在作用的能力有限。因此，由于爬行动物是饮热的，因此体温的变化最终会对健身产生重大影响，但这种影响只是部分理解。 ectotherms使用行为热调节调节，以避免与体温过高或低体温相关的能力降低。爬行动物主要通过行为和小气候选择来调节体温。因此，温度调节与栖息地的选择和行为紧密相关。由于体温调节会通过生理过程的温度依赖性影响适应性，因此我们可以在行为体温调节，生理学和爬行动物的适应性之间建立关系。我的长期研究目标是破译行为和表型如何受到生理约束的调节，影响全体生物的表现，从而影响与健康相关的生活历史特征。我使用一种功能进化方法，我的大多数工作都将受控的实验室实验与现场观测结合在一起。