Thermal Stress Responses and Behavioral Adaptations of Desert Reptiles in Semi-Arid Ecosystems Under Climate Change Scenarios

Abstract

Climate change has significantly shifted ecological parameters in the semi-arid ecosystems, creating a higher thermal stress and habitat problems for desert reptile populations. Knowledge of physiological and behavioral mechanisms for adaptation is crucial to projecting the survival of species in the face of future environmental conditions. Thermal stress response and behavioral adaptations of desert reptiles are explored in this study based on the ReptTraits database as the main source of information on ecology and physiology. A quantitative approach was used with the incorporation of species-level physiological, behavioral, and environmental factors. Data were preprocessed and features selected to highlight the relevant thermal characteristics, and a Thermal Stress Index (TSI) was created to measure species vulnerability to climate change. To estimate the impacts on the environment, climate scenario modeling was done using SSP126, SSP245, and SSP585 pathways. Both results showed that there were significant changes in adaptive responses in the groups of reptiles. A species' ability to withstand thermal stress was 84%, with 89% of it expected to survive if exposed to low stress, compared to 57% adaptive capacity and 61% survival probability if exposed to high stress. As thermal exposure was increased, behavioral adaptation scores decreased from 71 to 49. Results suggest that behavioral plasticity and utilization of habitat are of great importance for ecological resilience. The proposed framework is part of a research program to gain insights into the adaptations of reptiles and to support conserving biodiversity in the face of future climate change.