Transcriptome and Metabolome Analyses Reveal High-Altitude Adaptation in the Qinghai Toad-Headed Lizard <i> Phrynocephalus vlangalii </i>

Abstract

'Xiang Ji' 'Yiannis G. Zevgolis' 'Triantaphyllos Akriotis' 'Anastasia Christopoulou' 'Panayiotis G. Dimitrakopoulos' 'Dimitra-Lida Rammou' 'Dionisios Youlatos'] Title: Simple Summary The adaptation of organisms to high altitudes has always been a key concern. Here, we investigated high-altitude adaptation in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau lizard Phrynocephalus vlangalii. The lizard showed an increased resting metabolic rate with altitude, tending to increase lipid utilization and reduce dependence on glycogen consumption to adapt to the high-altitude environment. Our study provides new insights into the metabolic plasticity of reptiles and complements existing research on high-altitude adaptations.