Abstract
Many species are declining due to environmental and physical changes in their habitats. Such disturbs alter the availability of micro-habitats and influences the presence of lizards, being even worse for threatened and endemic species. Glaucomastix littoralis is a teiid species restricted to four restingas areas of Brazil. The understanding about the use and preferences of micro-habitats by the species and the consequents effects of substrate loss is important to prevent local extinctions. This study took place in restingas of Maricá, Jurubatiba and Grussaí, in Rio de Janeiro State. We sampled the vegetation of all areas, to access differences between the physical structures, and recorded the individuals sighted and the micro-habitat they were in, to investigate the relation of individuals and habitat structure. We calculated the frequency utilization of each micro-habitat and made a presence estimation of individuals (occupancy and detection probability) to assess which structural parameters of vegetation guide the settlement of the studied populations. Our data showed structural vegetation particularities among the areas and a trend concerning the use of micro-habitat by Glaucomastix littoralis, with a general preference for leaf litter inside bushes, guriri and bare sand and a low utilization of cactus and herbaceous. We also found positives (bare sand and cactus) and negatives (bushes) influences of micro-habitats in relation to the occupation of the areas by the individuals. Since vegetation is fundamental to lizards, due to their use as a refuge, site for thermoregulation and feeding, the understanding about the effects habitat degradation/fragmentation can cause is essential to create appropriate management plans and develop public policies to conserve the species.
Highlights
Spatial heterogeneity is known to be an important environmental variable for several organisms
We evaluated the relationship between the number of individuals sighted in each transect and the gradient of variation in vegetation structure revealed by the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) matrix cited before
The percentage of ground covered by leaf litter was of 9.3% in Maricá, 18.4% in Jurubatiba and 29.9% in Grussaí, whereas portions of ground having bare sand was 47.8% in Maricá, 44.5% in Jurubatiba and 39.7% in Grussaí
Summary
Spatial heterogeneity is known to be an important environmental variable for several organisms. The mosaic of micro-habitat generated by vegetation structure provides distinct physical conditions with different intensities of light, temperature and humidity, influencing local diversity and affecting distribution pattern of species (Oliveira et al, 1994; Cerqueira et al, 2003; Radder et al, 2005; Dias & Rocha, 2014). The variety of microclimates generated by the micro-habitats encompasses a range of environmental conditions that can be needed, or avoided, by organisms depending on their activities and hours of the day (Sinervo et al, 2010). The physical characteristics of the habitat, such as open or closed vegetation, wind, shade or direct exposure to sunlight influence the maintenance of local individuals’ body temperature, mainly the ectothermic ones, affecting their choice of habitat (Menezes et al, 2011; Maia-Carneiro et al, 2012).
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