Factors Influencing Home Ranges of the Qinghai Toad-headed Lizard (Phrynocephalus vlangalii) on the Dangjin Mountain, Gansu

Home range is an important ecological parameter reflecting the suitability of animal habitats. To study the size and factors influencing the home ranges of the Qinghai toad-headed lizard (Phrynocephalus vlangalii) in different habitats, from July to September 2020, we radio-tagged and tracked 15 individuals in each of sites distributed at high (3600 m) and low (2600 m) altitudes on the Dangjin Mountain, Gansu Province, northwest China We calculated home range size using the 100% minimum convex polygon method, and analyzed the influence of inherent lizard characteristics and external environmental factors. Our results revealed that for both high- and low-altitude lizard populations, the sizes of home ranges were positively correlated with lizard body mass. Moreover, after eliminating the effect of body mass as a covariable, we established that the home ranges of high-altitude lizards (5255.1 +/- 1103.8 m(2)) were larger than those of the low-altitude lizards (2208.1 +/- 348.7 m(2)). Lizards in the high-altitude population were also characterized by longer daily suitable activity times and spent significantly more time in full sunlight than those in the low-altitude population. Furthermore, the food resources for lizards in low-altitude habitats were more abundant than those in high-altitude habitats. In conclusion, we established that P. vlangalii lizards inhabiting high-altitude sites had larger home ranges than conspecific lizards distributed at a lower altitude, which was associated not only with endogenous factors, such as body mass, but also with habitat-related environmental factors, such as the quality of thermal resources and availability of food.

Automated summary

Through studying the home range size and influencing factors of Phrynocephalus vlangalii in high and low-altitude habitats, it was found that lizards in high-altitude areas have larger home ranges, which is associated with factors such as body mass, daily activity times, and food availability.