Effects of Constant versus Fluctuating Incubation Temperatures on Hatching Success, Incubation Length, and Hatchling Morphology in the Chinese Skink (Plestiodon chinensis)  

作　　者：Wen SHEN Jianchi PEI Longhui LIN Xiang JI 

机构地区：[1]School of Sports and Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, Zhejiang, China [2]Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Bioteehnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China [3]School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, Zhejiang, China

出　　处：《Asian Herpetological Research》2017年第4期262-268,共7页亚洲两栖爬行动物研究（英文版）

基　　金：the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31470471 and 30670281);the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation (LY17C030003);the Priority Academic Development Program of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions

摘　　要：We incubated eggs ofPlestiodon chinensis under five constant （24, 26, 28, 30, and 32 ℃） and one fluctuating thermal regimes to examine the effects of constant versus fluctuating incubation temperatures on hatching success, incubation length, and hatchling morphology. The duration of incubation varied considerably among the six temperature treatments, whereas hatching success did not. The mean incubation length decreased as temperature increased in a nonlinear way, and increased as the thermal variance increased. Incubation temperature affected the body size （linear length and mass） and shape of hatchlings, with eggs incubated at 26, 28, and 30 ℃ producing larger and heavier hatchlings than did those incubated at 24 ℃, 32 ℃, or fluctuating temperatures. Our results showed that exposure of P. chinensis eggs to extreme temperatures for brief periods of time did not increase embryonic mortality and, in the fluctuating-temperature treatment, the thermal variance affected hatchling morphology more evidently than the thermal mean. Our results highlight the importance of the thermal variance in affecting embryonic development and hatchling morphology, and add further evidence that temperatures within the range of 26-30 ℃ are optimal for P. chinensis embryos.We incubated eggs ofPlestiodon chinensis under five constant （24, 26, 28, 30, and 32 ℃） and one fluctuating thermal regimes to examine the effects of constant versus fluctuating incubation temperatures on hatching success, incubation length, and hatchling morphology. The duration of incubation varied considerably among the six temperature treatments, whereas hatching success did not. The mean incubation length decreased as temperature increased in a nonlinear way, and increased as the thermal variance increased. Incubation temperature affected the body size （linear length and mass） and shape of hatchlings, with eggs incubated at 26, 28, and 30 ℃ producing larger and heavier hatchlings than did those incubated at 24 ℃, 32 ℃, or fluctuating temperatures. Our results showed that exposure of P. chinensis eggs to extreme temperatures for brief periods of time did not increase embryonic mortality and, in the fluctuating-temperature treatment, the thermal variance affected hatchling morphology more evidently than the thermal mean. Our results highlight the importance of the thermal variance in affecting embryonic development and hatchling morphology, and add further evidence that temperatures within the range of 26-30 ℃ are optimal for P. chinensis embryos.

关 键 词：Developmental plasticity egg incubation hatchling phenotype scincid lizard thermal variance thermal mean 

分 类 号：Q954.4[生物学—动物学]