Persistent effect of incubation temperature on stress-induced behavior in the Yucatan banded gecko (Coleonyx elegans)

Although variability in behavioral traits within animal populations is well documented, the mechanisms maintaining that variability are still insufficiently known. In this study, we examined whether differences in thermal environment during egg incubation can permanently organize nonsocial behavior across different contexts and situations in a lizard species. We incubated eggs of the Yucatan banded gecko, Coleonyx elegans (Squamata: Gekkota: Eublepharidae) at 3 constant temperatures (26, 28, and 30 °C) and raised juveniles separately under the same conditions until adulthood. We then subjected them to 3 behavioral tests within 2 different contexts: an open-field test and a test of antipredator behavior (stressful context) as well as a test of feeding behavior (nonstressful context). Individuals of both sexes incubated at 30 °C were consistently less active and showed lower frequencies of several stereotypic behaviors in the stressful contexts than did individuals incubated at 26 and 28 °C. The test of feeding behavior revealed no significant effect of incubation temperature on geckos' behavior. Thus, our study demonstrates that developmental plasticity may play an important role in producing variability in stress-induced behavior in lizards.