Commonly known as being cold-blooded and in need of some sunshine, the world’s ectotherms may be struggling to keep cool in the future.
The finding raises concerns about how animals that regulate their body heat using air temperature will cope in a warmer world predicted by climate change.
Writing in this week’s issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of Australian and U.S. researchers say the impact of climate change on ectotherms will depend on how global warming-induced changes in habitat alter the ability to access shade.
For the study, Warren Porter, of the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Zoology, and the University of Sydney’s Rick Shine studied the effects of climate change on a small Australian lizard known as the heath monitor (Varanus rosenbergi).