Jessica Malisch, assistant professor of biology, Ellen Kohl, assistant professor of environmental studies and SMCM students, Lawrence Claggett and Lindsey Stevenson, have recently been published in General and Comparative Endocrinology titled, “Living on the edge: Glucocorticoid physiology in desert iguanas (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) is predicted by distance from an anthropogenic disturbance, body condition, and population density.”
In this article, the authors examined the relationship between levels of the stress hormone corticosterone in desert iguanas and the distance between the animal and high-traffic roads in Palm Springs, CA. The authors report lower levels of the stress hormone when the iguana was closer to the road. The authors hypothesized that increased water availability and increased vegetation due to water run-off from roadways might be connected to the decreased levels of stress hormone when the iguana was closer to the road. However, the authors indicate that asphalt surfaces are not useable habitats for these animals and, thus, the increased number of roadways does produce an overall decrease in habitat space.