Thermal Constraints For Northern Alligator Lizards Due To Fog

Climate change is altering the niche of species in all ecosystems. Since fog frequency has previously been shown to be decreasing, studying sites with high and low fog frequencies could give us a better idea of how future conditions will affect lizards. The main purpose of the study was to calculate thermal constraints, using hours of restriction, on habitats of northern alligator lizards (Elgaria coerulea) in at sites with high fog frequency and low fog frequency in the central coast of California. These measurements were collected during the breeding season, early summer, when restrictions could be detrimental to their reproductive fitness. We hypothesize that sites with less fog would have higher hours of restriction. To quantify fog frequencies we deployed standard fog collectors. We recorded thermal preference (T_p) of the lizards in the laboratory, and collected operative temperatures (T_e); temperatures the lizards would experience in the field measured by setting out lizard models. T_p and T_e were used to calculate the hours of restriction at each site. The results showed that hours of restriction were greater at sites with less fog than at sites with more fog. Therefore, these results support the conclusion that fog buffers excess heat for the lizards and allow them more time to forage during the summer. If there is a decline in fog frequency in the central coast, it could lead to increased hours of restriction for these lizards and could put their survival at risk.