EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON THE DIGESTIVE EFFICIENCY OF 3 SPECIES OF LIZARDS, CNEMIDOPHORUS-TIGRIS, GERRHONOTUS-MULTICARINATUS AND SCELOPORUS-OCCIDENTALIS

1. 1. The mean Apparent Digestibility Coefficient (ADC) of force-fed Sceloporus increased from 83.3% to 90.5%, over a temperature range from 26.2-33.4 C. 2. 2. Peristalsis was stopped and no food passed through the gastro-intestinal tract of Sceloporus kept at 20.8°C and Gerrhonotus kept at 14.9X. 3. 3. The mean ADC of force-fed Cnemidophorus increased from 88.7% at 25.1°C to 93.5% at 38.4°C. 4. 4. Gerrhonotus had relatively constant ADC's (ca. 92-94%) over a temperature range of 18.1-29.9°C; ADC at 32.4°C was reduced to 90.2%. 5. 5. The ADC's for free-feeding Sceloporus, Cnemidophorus and Gerrhonotus were generally comparable to those of force-fed conspecifics in similar thermal regimes. © 1979.