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News From the Field

Global warming lethal to baby lizards: nests become heat traps


August 18, 2015

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The expected impact of climate change on North American lizards is much worse than first thought. A team of biologists led by Arizona State University investigators has discovered that lizard embryos die when subjected to a temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit even for a few minutes. They also discovered a bias in previous studies, which ignored early life stages such as embryos. Embryonic lizards are immobile and cannot cool off when surrounding soil becomes hot.Full Story

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Arizona State University

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