草原沙蜥的产卵巢址选择及其生态适应意义

The transgenerational effect of nest-site selection on offspring fitness is a key to understand the ecological adaptation and population fluctuation in oviparous animals, and an important scientific question in population biology. We use the steppe toad-headed agama (Phrynocephalus frontalis) from the Jungar Banner of Inner Mongolia as our study subject. First, we will determine female nest-site selection in different types of habitats using telemetry technology, exploring the effect of habitat change on the behavior of nest-site selection. Second, we will conduct field manipulation experiments to compare the developmental rate and survival rate of embryos between different kinds of nests. At last, we will carry out field enclosure experiments to determine the growth and survival of F1 generation from different kinds of nests nests. We will determine the reproductive success of F1 females by measuring clutch size of female. Then we can evaluate the impact of nest-site selection on offspring fitness, and its transgenerational effect. Therefore, This project aims to: (1) explore the behavioral strategies of nest-site selection adaptive to habitat alteration in desert lizards by identifying the behavioral patterns of nest-site selection in the steppe toad-headed agama, nest-site character and its key influencing factors; (2) explore the ecological adaptive significance of nest-site selection by determining the impact of nest-site selection on the survival of embryos and the fitness of F1 generation.

卵生动物母体产卵地选择对后代适合度的影响及其跨代效应是揭示卵生动物生态适应以及种群波动机制的一个关键，是种群生物学的一个重要科学问题。本研究选择内蒙古鄂尔多斯高原草原沙蜥为对象，应用无线电遥测技术测定不同栖息地类型中母体的产卵巢址选择，分析栖息地改变对母体巢址选择行为的影响；运用野外控制的卵交换孵化实验，比较不同类型母体产卵巢穴内胚胎发育速率和孵化成功率，阐明巢址选择对胚胎发育的影响；开展野外围栏实验，测定子一代（F1）的生长和存活率，测定F1雌体的窝卵数以确定其繁殖成功率，进而阐明产卵地选择对F1适合度的影响及其跨代效应。因此，本项目旨在通过测定草原沙蜥的产卵巢址选择行为、产卵巢址特征及其影响因素来探讨荒漠蜥蜴母体响应栖息地改变的产卵巢址选择行为对策，通过阐明巢址选择对胚胎存活率及后代适合度的影响以揭示其生态适应意义。

本项目在四年的研究过程中，通过测定荒漠沙蜥、丽斑麻蜥和密点麻蜥三种蜥蜴的静息呼吸代谢率、疾跑速度和最适运动体温，从热生物学角度研究分析荒漠半荒漠区域爬行类动物小生境分化机制；说明分布于蒙古高源南缘地区半荒漠草原景观荒漠沙蜥、丽斑麻蜥和密点麻蜥三种蜥蜴斑块化分布是对自然生境的生态适应。野外调查发现有43个巢址中，有23个巢中再次发现新卵，也就是说丽斑麻蜥产卵有重复利用旧巢的现象，重复利用率超过53%，完成了丽斑麻蜥产卵巢址选择机制和重复利用行为的观察和实验研究。按期完成课题设计的研究任务。