Abstract
Knowledge of the patterns in the spatial distribution of species provides valuable information about the factors (resources and environment) that regulate the use of space by animals. Typically, the distribution of litter-dwelling scorpions in Atlantic forests is correlated with the structure of their microhabitats, although to better understand their natural history more studies on the patterns in their use of space are required. Therefore, we investigated the effect of rainfall on the patterns in the spatial distributions and population densities of two sympatric species of scorpion, Tityus (Archaeotityus) pusillus Pocock 1893 and Ananteris mauryi Lourenço 1982 in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in Brazil. The study was carried out during the dry (September) and rainy (June) months. We collected 501 individuals (268 T. (A.) pusillus and 233 A. mauryi) by actively searching at night using UV lanterns. We found that the spatial distribution and population density of T. (A.) pusillus, but not A. mauryi, were significantly affected by rainfall, with T. (A.) pusillus individuals showing a clumped pattern during the rainy month and random distribution in the dry month. We also found a different response in the population densities of the two species, with T. (A.) pusillus but not A. mauryi being affected by rainfall. Our results indicate that, although co-habiting in leaf litter, these species respond differently to rainfall, which affects their spatial distribution and abundance in this habitat.
Highlights
How individuals in a population are distributed in their respective habitats can be determined either at the species-level or at the population level (Rodrigues et al, 2010; Arbab et al, 2014; Sujithra & Chander, 2016)
Tityus (A.) pusillus distinctly differed in the pattern of its distribution between months, with a clumped distribution in the rainy month (PIA = 2.54 ± 0.85) and a random distribution in the dry month (PIA = 1.40 ± 0.80)
We found a non-random pattern of spatial distribution for these species, with only T. (A.) pusillus being distributed randomly during the rainy month, when an increase in the density of this scorpion was noted
Summary
How individuals in a population are distributed in their respective habitats (i.e., species distribution) can be determined either at the species-level (e.g., among different species) or at the population level (e.g., among populations of the same species) (Rodrigues et al, 2010; Arbab et al, 2014; Sujithra & Chander, 2016). Availability of resources (e.g., shelter, food) and environmental factors (e.g., dry and rainy periods) are likely to influence the distributions of species (Eterovick & Barata, 2006; Leal et al, 2016; Lira et al, 2018a). The distribution of litter-dwelling scorpions in Atlantic Forests in Brazil are positively correlated with the dry mass of leaf litter and layer use within the litter (Lira et al, 2013, 2015). Knowledge of the distribution of populations of a species is extremely important for a better understanding of population dynamics and the main factors that determine the persistence of organisms in natural environments (Patil & Stiteler, 1973). Scorpions are ecologically important because of their strong potential effect on community dynamics and structure, especially due to arthropod predation (Polis, 1990; Polis & Yamashita, 1991)
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