臺灣本島的草蜥幾乎都分布於中低海拔，唯有雪山草蜥分布於中部偏北雪山及中央山脈，海拔1800 m以上山區，明顯不同於其他草蜥。物種的分布範圍受到許多因子的影響，而如草蜥屬的外溫動物由於生理活動會直接受環境溫度所影響，因而溫度常影響其分布。除了成體之外，溫度效應還可能在草蜥生活史中的其他階段產生不同的影響。針對其胚胎期與幼體期，我想知道孵化溫度是否影響雪山草蜥的胚胎發育以及幼蜥的成長，進而限制雪山草蜥的海拔分布。本研究以恆定溫度作為雪山草蜥孵化實驗的環境溫度設定，共設有18℃、23℃、28℃以及33℃四組孵化溫度，並以臺灣草蜥作為對照組。同時於戶外的圈養環境中，以接近低海拔自然狀況的實驗設計下，操作雪山草蜥卵的孵化及幼蜥的成長實驗，希望可以藉由室內與戶外同時進行的實驗設計來了解溫度所扮演的角色。由恆溫孵化結果顯示，雪山草蜥在33℃時的發育速率增加已逐漸趨緩，而臺灣草蜥卻尚未達高峰，孵化溫度對兩種草蜥發育速率的影響顯著不同；兩者在相同溫度下的孵化成功率無顯著差異，但不同溫度會影響其孵化率；孵化溫度對幼蜥表型、幼蜥成長率及幼蜥三個月存活率無顯著影響。而半自然孵化實驗結果顯示，雖然兩者孵化率無顯著差異，但雪山草蜥在卵總數、幼蜥尋獲率及第三個月的幼蜥存活率上均顯著低於臺灣草蜥。故推測溫度對胚胎期的影響主要是在發育速率上，而低海拔環境對兩種草蜥幼蜥的影響差異主要在成長率以及存活率，在這樣的限制之下，即使雪山草蜥有機會分布到平地，可能也無法產生足夠的可生殖個體，進而影響到其海拔分布的範圍。

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