Thermal conditions determine lizards' response to oil contamination in a desert habitat
Gofer, Shahar ， Nassi, Tamar ， Berger-Tal, Oded ， Bouskila, Amos
2023-08-18 ISCIENCE 2023 26(卷), 8(期), (null页)
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A unique, hyper-arid habitat in southern Israel was polluted by crude oil in 2014. Surveys following the event found that some species of local lizards avoid the oil, while other species were found more frequently in polluted plots. These results raised the question: why do species react differently to oil-polluted soil? We eval-uated how soil type, thermal conditions, and food availability interacted to shape habitat preferences of three lizard species. Generally, thermal conditions deter-mined habitat selection and preferences for contaminated or clean soils, while the effects of food availability were weak. The diurnal Acanthodactylus opheodu-rus avoided artificial heating sources, perhaps to avoid hot soil during warm hours. Both nocturnal Stenodactylus species showed a preference for higher tem-perature treatments. While crude oil is considered harmful, ectotherms may not recognize it as a danger and may be attracted to it due to its thermal properties, which may create an ecological trap.
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