DOI: 10.5061/dryad.rd7gv0k
title: Data from: Lizards in the mist: thermal niches constrained by habitat and microclimates in the Andes of southern Bolivia

description: Aim: To understand how the activity budgets of ectotherms vary in mountain
 areas with high microclimatic and habitat heterogeneity, and how these
 factors together with habitat modulate the assemblage of ectotherm
 communities. Location; Tajzara Basin, Cordillera de Sama (3600–4300 masl),
 Department of Tarija, Bolivia. Taxon: four lizard species of the genus
 Liolaemus. Methods: After parameterizing the thermal physiology of each
 species and recording operative temperature time series with dataloggers,
 we calculated activity budgets for every species across 30 sampling sites.
 By multimodel inference we evaluated how activity budgets varied across
 the topography. We also assessed how abundances of each species were
 predicted by activity budgets, restriction time, temperature deviation,
 habitat covers and exposure to cold microclimate. Results: Activity
 budgets were not only influenced by elevation, but also by the exposure to
 cold air that comes through saddles from the eastern side of the mountain
 divide. Although thermal physiological parameters were relatively similar
 among the species, their abundances were conditioned to different extents
 by activity budgets, habitat and microclimates. Main conclusions: The
 abundance and distribution of each species across these lizard communities
 reflect the microclimatic heterogeneity originated by complex topography,
 which uncouples activity budgets from elevation. Only one species was
 confined to cold microclimate refugia with higher exposure to Föhn effect.
 Despite having relatively similar thermal aspect of fundamental niches,
 lizards may differ in their realized niches by habitat selection. Habitat
 specialization could compromise the persistence of some species under
 global warming by reducing the dispersal possibilities to certain areas
 where population sustainability might be impaired in the long term.
 Understanding the heterogeneity of microclimates and habitats and the
 physiology of the species partially explains their distribution at local
 scale, and provides insights on how to best confront upcoming climate
 change effects.
description: Data collected during
 lizard surveysData of field surveys of
 active lizards performed during repeated visits to 30 sampling
 sitesLizardsSurveys.csvPhysiology DataData of lizards' field body temperatures and voluntary thermal maximum recorded in the laboratoryPhysiologyData.csvCalibrations of Te vs TbSimultaneous measures of operative temperatures of polyvinylchloride models and body temperatures of immobilised lizards under the same environmental conditionsTevsTbCalibrations.csvOperative temperatures of the 2012-2013 sampling campaignOperative temperatures recorded on polyvinylchloride models in the same sites were lizards were surveyedTeSam2012.csvOperative temperatures of the 2013-2014 sampling campaignOperative temperatures recorded on polyvinylchloride models in the same sites were lizards were surveyedTeSam2013.csvSubstrate HeterogeneityData for habitat characterization of the sites where lizards were surveyedSubstrate_Heterogeneity.csvMountain divide vectorial GIS fileSpatial Lines Dataframe describing the mountain divide in the area of studymountain_divide.zipSummary of thermal thresholds of activityR script to calculate the thermal thresholds of activity and to assess the bias of operative temperatures from lizard body temperaturesLizards in the mist. Script 1. Summary of thermal thresholds of activity.RCalculating activity and restriction timesR script to calculate potential activity and restriction timesLizards in the mist. Script 2. Calculating activity and restriction times.RFunctions to calculate potential activity and restriction timesFunctions to calculate potential activity and restriction times of ectotherms from operative temperature datadegreeMinutes.RGLMs for activity and restriction timeR script to analyse how much variation of the potential activity and restriction times can be explained by several topographic variables such as elevation, slope aspect, insolation, concavity of terrain and exposition to cold air drainage from the mountain divideLizards in the mist. Script 3. GLMs for activity and restriction time.ROrganising survey and transect dataR script to assemble all the data collected in the sampling sites during different lizard surveys, habitat measures, GIS derived variables and activity budgets (inferred from the physiology of each species and operative time series).Lizards in the mist. Script 4. Organising survey and transect data.RFunction for operative temperature deviationFunctions to calculate the operative temperature deviation according to the Hertz et al. (1993) protocolHertzFunctions.RZIGLMMs for abundances of lizardsR script with analyses to evaluate how the abundance of active individuals of each species of lizard is explained by the operative temperature of each survey, the average potential activity and restriction times, and other microclimatic and habitat variables.Lizards in the mist. Script 5. ZIGLMMs for abundances of lizards.RReadmeGeneral description of the files that accompany the publication: Jiménez-Robles O, De la Riva I 2019. Lizards in the mist: Thermal niches constrained by habitat and microclimates in the Andes of southern Bolivia. Journal of Biogeography.