Thermal Adaptation Lab: Thermoregulation Experiment Photos

Field Studies of Thermoregulation

Nick Tacker catches his first lizard—a collared lizard. Unfortunately, this species was too rare to use in our experiment.	Walking in White Sands National Monument in hopes of finding lizards.	Taking a break from our work, we spent a day herding wolves at Ted Turner's Ranch.

Finally, we found plenty of lizards at the Chiricahua National Monument (Arizona).	The three stooges (Matt Schuler, Mike Sears & Mike Angilletta) attempt to catch a spiny lizard in a tree.	Mike Angilletta catching a spiny lizard (Sceloporus jarrovi) in the Chiricahuas.

A stunning view from the lookout at the Chiricahua National Monument.	The newly constructed lab at Sevilleta Field Station offered state-of-the-art facilities to support our experiment.	This space is the new lab was graciously provided by the University of New Mexico.

In the lab, we prepared for surgeries, which were required to implant temperature-loggers into our experimental subjects.	Matt performed most of the surgeries and had a perfect record of patient survival.	After recovering from surgery, we measured the preferred temperatures of lizards in simple thermal gradients.

To manipulate the temperatures in our arenas, shade cloth was laid across a scaffold of steel cable.	Steel cable was stretched to remove slack in the shade cloth.	Some arenas, such as this one, contained 16 small patches of 80%shade.

Other arenas contained one large patch of 80%shade.	In this arena, a uniform layer of 30% shade cloth was placed over 16 small patches of 80% shade cloth.	In this arena, a uniform layer of 30% shade cloth was placed over a large patch of 80% shade cloth.

This aerial photo, taken at solar noon, shows the spatial distributions of shade in the nine arenas.	This aerial photo, taken at 1800 h, shows the shadows cast by the shade cloth.	In our thermal areans, spiny lizards shuttled between patches of shade and sun to maintain their preferred temperatures.