Les expériences de printemps commencent ! (The spring experiments begin!)

We have new lizards in the lab…gravid females this time! Despite the generally cool and rainy weather this past month, we have had few sunny days here and there…and when the sun comes out, so do the lizards. Before starting this new experiment, however, we were able to release the lizards from last year’s experiment that we overwintered in the lab. After putting in so much time and energy into the experiment last fall, I’m glad to say that Mahaut was able to join us for this happy day. It is so very satisfying to see these wild animals run back off into their home. We also had some help from some very young field assistants. After growing up watching the Wild Kratts on PBS, the kids are very happy to see animals “living free and in the wild!”

Anna (above) and Mahaut (right) release lizards back into
the wild!

 

For our experiments this spring, we will catch gravid female lizards from both low- and high-altitude populations and examine the effects of high-altitude hypoxia on their physiology, reproduction, and offspring development. This will allow us to test both plasticity in response to hypoxia (by bringing low-altitude lizards up to high altitude ) and for local variation in these traits (by comparing lizards from low- and high-altitude populations).

We’ve started by bringing some low-elevation lizards into the lab in Moulis. We have gravid females from two populations currently, set up comfortably (we hope) with their heat lamps, retreat sites, and nesting boxes.

One of our females explores her cage and nesting box.

This experiment also requires a control group for the lizards from high-elevation populations, which is to say that we need a place to keep these lizards at their native altitude, around 1500 m above sea level. Fortunately we were able to rent a small flat in the small resort town of La Mongie, right at the base of the cable car going to Pic du Midi! With the amazing help of Jérémie (also known as Monsieur Bricolage), we build new shelves and lighting fixtures, quickly transforming the apartment into a temporary home for these lizards.

Laura and Jérémie build the new shelves.

The finished product!

If the weather in La Mongie today was any indication, we’ve got a bit of time before the lizards at the high-elevation populations will be out and about. In fact, there was more snow there today than I’d seen in any of my mid-winter visits. It made for some lovely scenery on the drive up, but didn’t leave much to see from the Pic.

Laura and Jérémie trek through the snow in La Mongie.