DOI: 10.5061/dryad.1jwstqjxm
title: Data from: Active regulation of ultraviolet light exposure overrides thermal preference behaviour in eastern fence lizards

description: 1. Over a century of ecophysiological studies on lizards have perpetuated
 the assumption that basking and shuttling movements between sun and shade
 function solely for temperature regulation. However, these behaviors also
 modulate exposure to ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths that are essential for
 maintaining physiological homeostasis as well as ensuring proper growth
 and development and enhancing long-term fitness. 2. An alternative
 hypothesis is that lizards also actively regulate their UV exposure. In
 this scenario, UV needs may even override temperature needs (or vice
 versa), generating asymmetries in the ability of a lizard to regulate both
 conditions equally. We test this hypothesis using field and laboratory
 data collected on adult Sceloporus undulatus. 3. We found that S.
 undulatus actively regulate UV exposure and prioritize UV over
 temperature, favoring body temperatures much higher than preferred values
 to sustain preferred UV exposure. In stark contrast, temperature had no
 reciprocal impact on UV regulation behavior. Our field data support these
 patterns, suggesting that lizards may even seek out hotter environments
 despite thermal costs to enhance UV exposure. 4. We conclude that S.
 undulatus actively regulate for UV as well as temperature. Unfortunately,
 outside of zoos and private hobbyists, appreciation of the importance of
 UV for ectotherm survival and reproductive success has been minimal.
 Addressing this deficit will therefore be vital to improve our
 understanding of the factors shaping the evolution of ectotherm
 photoregulation behavior in nature.
description: These raw data accompany the article Conley and Lattanzio (2022,
 <em>Functional Ecology</em>), entitled 'Active regulation
 of ultraviolet light exposure overrides thermal preference behavior in
 eastern fence lizards'.  All data were collected on wild eastern
 fence lizards (<em>Sceloporus undulatus</em>) and done either
 at our field site or within a university research lab. There are seven (7)
 total tabs in the EXCEL file. Hereafter we list variables in each tab in
 the order of appearance from left to right. The first tab
 (field_and_histogram_data) includes data from the field and data for the
 histograms shown in Figs. 1 and 2: individual id (capture number), sex
 (male or female), field body temperature (celsius), field UV exposure (UV
 index [UVI]), pooled UV set-point minimum and maximum for <em>S.
 undulatus</em> in our dataset (both in UVI), UV exposure minimum and
 maximum for <em>S. undulatus </em>estimated in a prior study
 by Ferguson et al. (2010, <em>Zoo Biology</em>) (in UVI),
 pooled thermal set-point minimum and maximum for <em>S.
 undulatus </em>in our dataset (both in Celsius). The second tab
 (UVdata_Treatments2_3) includes UV data from treatments 2 and 3 in our
 study: individual id (capture number), sex (male or female), treatment (uv
 = treatment 2, temp_uv = treatment 3), mean UV preference (in UVI), and UV
 set-point range (in UVI) values. The third tab (Tempdata_Treatments1_3)
 includes temperature data from treatments 1 and 3 in our study: individual
 id (capture number), sex (male or female), treatment (temp = treatment 1,
 temp_uv = treatment 3), mean thermal preference (in Celsius), and thermal
 set-point range (in Celsius) values. The fourth tab (SA1 - Body Condition
 Analysis) includes data used to analyze variation in body condition of
 <em>S. undulatus</em> in our dataset over time in
 Supplementary Appendix 1 in our Supporting Information: individual id
 (capture number), sex (male or female), snout-vent length (SVL, in mm),
 and weekly <em>S. undulatus </em>mass measurements, starting
 on the day of capture (=mass1) (all in g). The fifth tab (SA4 -
 Complementary Analyses) includes data used to analyze difference values in
 preference and set-point data between treatments including in
 Supplementary Appendix 4 in our Supporting Information: individual id
 (capture number), sex (male or female), difference in mean thermal
 preference (in Celsius), difference in thermal set-point range (in
 Celsius), difference in mean UV preference (in UVI), and difference in UV
 set-point range (in UVI). Raw difference values were calculated as a
 lizard's value in treatment 3 minus their respective value in
 treatment 1 (for temperature data) or 2 (for UV data). The sixth tab (SF3
 - Sensor Calibration Curve) includes data used to calibrate the analog
 Adafruit UV sensor to the standard sensors produced by Solarmeter 6.5r UV
 meter, included in Supplementary Figure 3 in our Supporting Information:
 Solarmeter UVI reading (in UVI), Adafruit UV sensor output (in mV), slope
 estimate (slope of best-fit linear trendline set to zero intercept),
 estimated UVI (conversion of Adafruit UV sensor mV into UVI using the
 slope estimate [=mV * slope estimate]), the raw difference between
 estimated and actual UVI (in UVI), and the absolute value of the
 difference between estimated and actual UVI (in UVI). Differences were
 calculated as Solarmeter UVI reading minus estimated UVI. The seventh tab
 (Notes) includes two brief notes to clarify to the reader that data used
 to produce Supplementary Figure 4 and Supplementary Figure 5 in our
 Supporting Information are the raw data included in the third and second
 tabs, respectively.
description: The file is XLSX format, which is typically opened using
 Microsoft EXCEL. However, these files can also easily be opened using
 Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, or even directly in the statistical
 software R/RStudio. To analyze the data we recommend using R (or R as
 implemented via an RStudio interface), as we reference specific packages
 throughout the data analysis section of Materials and methods, and in our
 Supporting Information, that we used in this study. All packages are for
 the R software environment, and free to use/access.