The evolutionary role of fire in animals has been poorly explored. Reptiles use sensory cues, such as smell (chemoreception), to detect threats and flee. In Mediterranean ecosystems, fire is a threat faced by reptiles. We hypothesized that the Mediterranean lizard Psammodromus algirus recognizes the threat of fire by detecting the smoke, which triggers a behavioral response that enhances survival in fire-prone ecosystems. We predicted that lizards from fire-prone ecosystems will be more sensitive to fire stimulus than those from ecosystems that rarely burn. We conducted a terrarium experiment in which lizards from habitats with contrasted fire regimes (fire-prone vs. non-fire-prone) were exposed to smoke versus control (false smoke) treatment. We found that, in populations from fire-prone habitats, more lizards reacted to smoke, and their behavioral response was more intense than in lizard populations from non-fire-prone habitats. Our results suggest that an enhanced response to smoke may be adaptive in lizards from fire-prone ecosystems as it increases the chance for survival. We provide evidence that fire is likely an evolutionary driver shaping behavioral traits in lizard populations exposed to frequent wildfires. Understanding ecological and evolutionary processes shaping animal populations is relevant for species conservation in a changing fire regime world.

中文翻译：

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地中海蜥蜴对烟雾的火灾行为反应

火在动物中的进化作用一直没有得到很好的探索。爬行动物使用嗅觉（化学感受）等感官线索来检测威胁并逃离。在地中海生态系统中，火灾是爬行动物面临的威胁。我们假设地中海蜥蜴 Psammodromus algirus 通过检测烟雾来识别火灾的威胁，这会引发一种行为反应，从而提高易火灾生态系统的生存能力。我们预测，来自易火灾生态系统的蜥蜴比来自很少燃烧生态系统的蜥蜴对火灾刺激更敏感。我们进行了一个玻璃容器实验，其中来自具有对比火情（易火与非易火）栖息地的蜥蜴暴露于烟雾与对照（假烟雾）处理。我们发现，在易火灾栖息地的种群中，更多的蜥蜴对烟雾有反应，并且它们的行为反应比来自非火灾易发栖息地的蜥蜴种群更强烈。我们的研究结果表明，对烟雾的增强反应可能在易火灾生态系统的蜥蜴中具有适应性，因为它增加了生存机会。我们提供的证据表明，火很可能是塑造暴露于频繁野火的蜥蜴种群行为特征的进化驱动因素。了解塑造动物种群的生态和进化过程与不断变化的火情世界中的物种保护相关。我们提供的证据表明，火很可能是塑造暴露于频繁野火的蜥蜴种群行为特征的进化驱动因素。了解塑造动物种群的生态和进化过程与不断变化的火情世界中的物种保护相关。我们提供的证据表明，火很可能是塑造暴露于频繁野火的蜥蜴种群行为特征的进化驱动因素。了解塑造动物种群的生态和进化过程与不断变化的火情世界中的物种保护相关。