Abstract
In the present work, we studied the fragmentation effect of the habitat of the desert terrestrial Isopod Hemilepistus reaumurii on the sex ratio, body size, fecundity, and sexual dimorphism of two populations located at two stations in the region of Gabes, namely Tmoula (fragmented and anthropic habitat) and Akarit Wadi (natural habitat). At both stations, specimens of H. reaumurii were collected monthly from March 2014 to March 2015 and twice a month from April to May 2015. During this period, 6803 specimens were identified. Our results show the existence of inter-populational variability in the onset of reproduction, which occurred earlier in the natural habitat than in the fragmented and anthropic environment. In addition, the disturbed environment affected females and males activities during the breeding season and led to a decrease in body size and fecundity additionally to the disappearance of size dimorphism. The comparison of the overall sex ratio between the two populations showed a significant difference and the Tmoula population was statistically less balanced than the Akarit Wadi population.
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