Is Fluctuating Asymmetry a Sufficient Indicator of Stress Level in Two Lizard Species (Zootoca vivipara and Lacerta agilis) from Alpine Habitats?
2023
Authors:
Anđelković, MarkoMirč, Marko
Ajduković, Maja
Cvijanović, Milena
Vukov, Tanja
Vučić, Tijana
Kijanović, Ana
Urošević, Aleksandar
Document Type:
Article (Published version)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract:
Alpine habitats are exposed to increasing anthropogenic pressure and climate change. The negative impacts can lead to chronic stress that can affect the survival and reproductive success of individuals and even lead to population extinction. In this study, we analyse different morphological and ecological traits and indices of abiotic and biotic stressors (such as head size and shape, fluctuating asymmetry, body condition index, tail autotomy, and population abundance) in alpine and subalpine populations of two lacertid species (Zootoca vivipara and Lacerta agilis) from Serbia and North Macedonia. These lizards live under different conditions: allotopy/syntopy, different anthropogenic pressure, and different levels of habitat protection. We found differences between syntopic and allotopic populations in pileus size, body condition index (in both species), pileus shape, fluctuating asymmetry (in L. agilis), and abundance (in Z. vivipara). Differences between populations under anthropogenic pressure and populations without it were observed in pileus shape, body condition index (in both species), pileus size, fluctuating asymmetry, tail autotomy and abundance (in L. agilis). On the basis of our results, it is necessary to include other stress indicators in addition to fluctuating asymmetry to quickly observe and quantify the negative effects of threat factors and apply protective measures.
Keywords:
sand lizard; viviparous lizard; head shape; body condition; population size; syntopy; allotopy; anthropogenic pressureSource:
Symmetry, 2023, 15, 3, 721-Funding / projects:
- Kopaonik NP (grant no. 1045/2022)
- Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, institutional funding - 200007 (University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research 'Siniša Stanković') (RS-MESTD-inst-2020-200007)