Scientists warn of growing crisis threatening desert wildlife: 'If we can better understand … we can better anticipate'

New findings are showing that as our planet warms, desert lizards face a real energy crisis.

What's happening?

According to an article from Phys.org, these cold-blooded creatures depend on the warmth of the sun and the cool relief of the shade to regulate their body temperature. 

When days get hotter, they need extra energy just to maintain the right temperature, yet the extreme heat shortens the time they can safely hunt for food. This cycle forces these lizards to pay a steeper "energy bill" with fewer work hours.

Why are desert lizards important?

Desert lizards play a key role in controlling insect populations and keeping the delicate balance of the desert ecosystem intact. When desert lizards struggle to get enough energy, fewer of them survive over the long term.

When lizard populations drop, the effects can ripple through the entire ecosystem. Shrinking lizard populations can lead to insect overpopulation, which may affect local agriculture and undermine natural systems that clean our water.

What's being done about it?

University of Melbourne researchers Dr. Kristoffer H. Wild and Professor Michael R. Kearney are combining physics and biology through innovative models to determine the long-term effects of these environmental changes. 

In their research article, Dr. Wild explained, "Our next steps will be to bring food and water resources into our calculations and translate the results into growth and reproduction, which will help us predict whether populations will survive further change under warming."

Their goal for these models is to figure out exactly how much extra food these lizards need and how much hunting time they lose as temperatures climb. 

Professor Kearney added, "If we can better understand the ecological processes underpinning these cost-of-living pressures, we can better anticipate the species most at risk and act accordingly." 

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Whether by learning more about climate issues or taking action in your community, we can help these desert dwellers — and countless other species — cope with a warming world.

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