Nonetheless, there is currently no database collating and summarising this vast literature in a way that is amenable to updates as the literature grows or that can be expanded to address not only questions on the impacts of temperature, but also other environmental conditions (e.g., moisture, pH) that may be relevant to phenotypic development and survival. In reptiles (turtles and tortoises, tuatara, lizards, snakes and crocodilians), there is a growing empirical literature testing the effects of early thermal environments (i.e., incubation temperatures) on the phenotypic development of a broad range of physiological, morphological and performance traits 7– 11. Ectothermic vertebrates in particular are sensitive to variation in early developmental temperature, which often is mediated by local climatic conditions, landscape features as well as maternal nest site choice or maternal basing behaviour. ![]() Understanding the extent to which developmental environments impact phenotypes is important for addressing many fundamental questions in ecology and evolutionary biology 3– 5, as well as predicting the effect environmental change will have on populations both locally and globally 1, 6. This resource will serve as an important data repository for addressing overarching questions about thermal plasticity of reptile embryos.Ĭonditions experienced early in life are known to impact phenotypes in profound ways that can have long-lasting effects on fitness 1, 2. The data encompass various morphological, physiological, behavioural and performance traits along with growth rates, developmental timing, sex ratio and survival (e.g., hatching success). Here, we describe a database with nearly 10, 000 phenotypic estimates from 155 species of reptile, collected from 300 studies manipulating incubation temperature (published between 1974–2016). While there is a burgeoning empirical literature of experimental manipulations of embryonic thermal environments, addressing widespread patterns at a comparative level has been hampered by the lack of accessible data in a format that is amendable to updates as new studies emerge. Such an understanding has important implications for basic eco-evolutionary theory and conservation efforts worldwide. Reptiles have served as empirical models for understanding how the environment experienced by embryos can influence phenotypic variation, including sex ratio, phenology and survival. ![]() ![]() How temperature influences development has direct relevance to ascertaining the impact of climate change on natural populations.
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