TY - JOUR
T1 - Constancy in an inconstant world
T2 - moving beyond constant temperatures in the study of reptilian incubation
AU - Bowden, Rachel M.
AU - Carter, Amanda W.
AU - Paitz, Ryan T.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions please email: [email protected].
PY - 2014/11/1
Y1 - 2014/11/1
N2 - Variable environmental conditions can alter the phenotype of offspring, particularly in ectothermic species such as reptiles. Despite this, the majority of studies on development in reptiles have been carried out under constant conditions in the laboratory, raising the question of just how applicable those investigations are to natural conditions? Here, we first review what we have learned from these constant-temperature studies. Second, we examine the importance of temperature fluctuations for development in reptiles and highlight the outcomes of studies conducted under fluctuating conditions. Next, we report our findings from a new study that examines how the frequency of fluctuations in temperature experienced during development affects phenotype. Finally, we suggest some areas in need of additional research so that we can better understand the complex interactions of temperature and physiology, particularly in species with temperature-dependent sex determination. For questions aimed at understanding the complex effects of the environment on phenotype, we must move toward studies that better capture environmental variation. By taking such an approach, it may be possible to predict more accurately how these thermally sensitive organisms will respond to environmental perturbations, including climatic change.
AB - Variable environmental conditions can alter the phenotype of offspring, particularly in ectothermic species such as reptiles. Despite this, the majority of studies on development in reptiles have been carried out under constant conditions in the laboratory, raising the question of just how applicable those investigations are to natural conditions? Here, we first review what we have learned from these constant-temperature studies. Second, we examine the importance of temperature fluctuations for development in reptiles and highlight the outcomes of studies conducted under fluctuating conditions. Next, we report our findings from a new study that examines how the frequency of fluctuations in temperature experienced during development affects phenotype. Finally, we suggest some areas in need of additional research so that we can better understand the complex interactions of temperature and physiology, particularly in species with temperature-dependent sex determination. For questions aimed at understanding the complex effects of the environment on phenotype, we must move toward studies that better capture environmental variation. By taking such an approach, it may be possible to predict more accurately how these thermally sensitive organisms will respond to environmental perturbations, including climatic change.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84927761722&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84927761722&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/icb/icu016
DO - 10.1093/icb/icu016
M3 - Article
C2 - 24740893
AN - SCOPUS:84927761722
SN - 1540-7063
VL - 54
SP - 830
EP - 840
JO - Integrative and Comparative Biology
JF - Integrative and Comparative Biology
IS - 5
ER -