Reptile Communities Research Articles

Ecological and taxonomic dissimilarity in species and higher taxa of reptiles in western Mexico.

Reptiles are one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates in the world that are distributed in almost all ecosystems. Many of these studies have focused on exploring their diversity patterns across different environments; and recent studies on reptile alpha and beta diversity have incorporated a multifaceted approach into their analysis to have more comprehensive evaluations. This study presents an assessment of the taxonomic diversity of reptile patterns using methods that incorporate the assessment of higher taxa. Likewise, the taxonomic dissimilarities between reptile communities in the physiographic regions of the state of Jalisco were analyzed. Evaluations for the groups of snakes and lizards independently are presented. We use the taxonomic distinctiveness index that assesses the complexity of the taxonomic structure of communities through hierarchical classification above the species level to measure the relationships between taxa. The dissimilarity of the taxonomic structure in each community was also analyzed. Beta diversity partitions were performed to identify the contribution of turnover and the differences in richness. We determined that alpha diversity of species and higher taxa maintain different patterns, indicating that Jalisco presents regions with overrepresentation of reptile families and genera, as well as regions with an opposite trend. The representation of higher taxa is higher in the lizard group, although in terms of species richness snakes are the most prominent group. The turnover is the most important component at species and higher taxa, with similar values for lizards and snakes. The findings presented show that incorporating phylogenetic information about species through taxonomic relationships provides complementary information that species diversity per se, especially at the level of alpha diversity.

More the merrier? influence of mango orchards on the composition of the reptile communities of the lateritic plateaus, Maharashtra, India

AbstractChange in land‐use patterns affects a landscape by changing the composition of local flora and fauna. The lateritic plateaus in Konkan are one such example of this rapid land‐use change. Although these plateaus are rich in endemic flora and fauna, they are considered as “wastelands” due to lack of woody vegetation and thus, are subjected to various land‐uses. Mango cultivation in this region has become a major source of income due to its Alphonso variety of mangoes. Hence, over the last few decades, many plateaus have been converted into mango orchards. However, how the conversion of plateaus to mango orchards has affected species composition of different groups of organisms remains unclear. In the present study, we sampled the lateritic plateaus and plateaus converted into mango orchards in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, to investigate the response of the reptile communities. We observed more species heterogeneity in the orchards compared to the unaltered sites. Moreover, it appeared that there was a species turnover when the plateaus were converted into orchards. The generalist and widespread species such as agamids and skinks and very few specialist species were comparatively more abundant in the orchards. On the contrary, the plateaus without orchards harbored more specialist species such as Hemidactylus albofasciatus (n = 62, in unaltered sites vs. n = 5 in the orchards), Echis carinatus (n = 15 in unaltered sites and none in the orchards) and Ophisops jerdonii (n = 45 in unaltered site vs. n = 12 in the orchards) compared to the generalist species.

After the Megafires: Effects of Fire Severity on Reptile Species Richness and Occupancy in South-Eastern Australia

The Australian megafires of 2019–2020 were considered catastrophic for flora and fauna, yet little is known about their impacts on reptiles. We investigated the impacts of the 2019–2020 megafires on reptiles in Morton National Park, New South Wales, in eastern Australia. To understand how fire severity affects reptile species richness and occupancy, we surveyed 28 replicate plots across unburnt areas and areas affected by high and low fire severity. We estimated reptile species richness and occupancy by performing systematic searches for reptiles during five sampling occasions in 2023, three years after the megafires. We measured vegetation structure and quantified the thermal environment in shelter sites used by reptiles. Vegetation structure varied significantly between burn severity groups. High-severity plots had the least canopy cover and the thinnest leaf litter depth but had a taller understorey with more stems. The thermal quality within reptile retreat sites did not differ between fire severity classes. Despite strong differences in post-fire vegetation structure, there was no evidence that fire severity affected reptile species richness or occupancy of the delicate skink, Lampropholis delicata. These results highlight the complexity of reptile responses to fires and contribute to increasing our understanding of the impacts of megafires on reptile communities.

Integrating genomics and biogeography to unravel the origin of a mountain biota: The case of a reptile endemicity hotspot in Arabia.

Advances in genomics have greatly enhanced our understanding of mountain biodiversity, providing new insights into the complex and dynamic mechanisms that drive the formation of mountain biotas. These span from broad biogeographic patterns to population dynamics and adaptations to these environments. However, significant challenges remain in integrating large-scale and fine-scale findings to develop a comprehensive understanding of mountain biodiversity. One significant challenge is the lack of genomic data, particularly in historically understudied arid regions where reptiles are a particularly diverse vertebrate group. In the present study, we assembled a de novo genome-wide SNP dataset for the complete endemic reptile fauna of a mountain range (19 described species with more than 600 specimens sequenced), and integrated state-of-the-art biogeographic analyses at the population, species, and community level. Thus, we provide a holistic integration of how a whole endemic reptile community has originated, diversified and dispersed through a mountain system. Our results show that reptiles independently colonized the Hajar Mountains of southeastern Arabia 11 times. After colonization, species delimitation methods suggest high levels of within-mountain diversification, supporting up to 49 deep lineages. This diversity is strongly structured following local topography, with the highest peaks acting as a broad barrier to gene flow among the entire community. Interestingly, orogenic events do not seem key drivers of the biogeographic history of reptiles in this system. Instead, past climatic events seem to have had a major role in this community assemblage. We observe an increase of vicariant events from Late Pliocene onwards, coinciding with an unstable climatic period of rapid shifts between hyper-arid and semiarid conditions that led to the ongoing desertification of Arabia. We conclude that paleoclimate, and particularly extreme aridification, acted as a main driver of diversification in arid mountain systems which is tangled with the generation of highly adapted endemicity. Overall, our study does not only provide a valuable contribution to understanding the evolution of mountain biodiversity, but also offers a flexible and scalable approach that can be reproduced into any taxonomic group and at any discrete environment.

Reptile responses to fire across the western Mediterranean Basin

AbstractEffects of anthropogenic activities, including climate change, are modifying fire regimes, and the dynamic nature of these modifications requires identification of general patterns of organisms’ responses to fire. This is a challenging task because of the high complexity of factors involved (including climate, geography, land use, and species‐specific ecology). We aimed to describe the responses of the reptile community to fire across a range of environmental and fire‐history conditions in the western Mediterranean Basin. We sampled 8 sites that spanned 4 Mediterranean countries. We recorded 6064 reptile sightings of 36 species in 1620 transects and modeled 3 community metrics (total number of individuals, species richness, and Shannon diversity) as responses to environmental and fire‐history variables. Reptile community composition was also analyzed. Habitat type (natural vs. afforestation), fire age class (time since the last fire), rainfall, and temperature were important factors in explaining these metrics. The total number of individuals varied according to fire age class, reaching a peak at 15–40 years after the last fire. Species richness and Shannon diversity were more stable during postfire years. The 3 community metrics were higher under postfire conditions than in unburned forest plots. This pattern was particularly prevalent in afforested plots, indicating that the negative effect of fire on reptiles was lower than the negative effect of afforestation. Community composition varied by fire age class, indicating the existence of early‐ and late‐successional species (xeric and saxicolous vs. mesic reptiles, respectively). Species richness was 46% higher in areas with a single fire age class relative to those with a mixture of fire age classes, which indicates pyrodiverse landscapes promoted reptile diversity. An expected shift to more frequent fires will bias fire age distribution toward a predominance of early stages, and this will be harmful to reptile communities.

The implications of estimating rarity in Brazilian reptiles from GBIF data based on contributions from citizen science versus research institutions

AbstractUnderstanding the distribution of rare species is important for conservation prioritisation. Traditionally, museums and other research institutions have served as depositories for specimens and biodiversity information. However, estimating abundance from these sources is challenging due to spatiotemporally biased collection methods. For instance, large‐bodied reptiles that are found near research institutions or in popular, easily accessible sites tend to be overrepresented in collections compared to smaller species found in remote areas. Recently, a substantial number of observations have been amassed through citizen (or community) science initiatives, which are invaluable for monitoring purposes. Given the unstructured nature of this sampling, these datasets are often affected by biases, such as taxonomic, spatial and temporal preferences. Therefore, analysing data from these two sources can lead to different abundance estimates. This study compiled data on Brazilian reptile species from the Global Information Biodiversity Facility (GBIF). It employed a community‐ecology approach to analyse data from research institutions and citizen science initiatives, separately and collectively, to assess taxonomic and spatial species coverage and predict species rarity. Using a 1‐degree hexagonal grid, we analysed the spatial distribution of reptile communities and calculated rarity indices for 754 reptile species. Our findings reveal that 87 species were exclusively recorded in the citizen science subset, while 212 were recorded only by research institutions. The number of observations per species in the citizen science data followed a Gambin distribution, which aligns with the expected pattern of abundance in natural communities, unlike the data from research institutions. This suggests that citizen science data may be a more accurate source for estimating species abundance and rarity. The discrepancies in rarity classifications between the datasets were likely due to differences in sample size and potentially other sampling parameters. Nevertheless, combining data collected by both research institutions and citizen science initiatives can help to fill knowledge gaps in reptile species occurrence, thus enhancing the foundation for conservation efforts on a national scale.

Unburnt areas in subtropical woodlands contain distinct reptile communities after extensive wildfire

AbstractExtensive wildfires can have profound impacts on fauna communities by altering the vegetation structure and resource availability. However, unburnt areas within a fire mosaic may be important habitat for wildlife while the surrounding area recovers after fire. To understand the importance of unburnt vegetation for reptiles, we studied community assemblages at 15 burnt and 15 unburnt sites in a subtropical woodland 12 months after a 25 000 ha wildfire. We tested the relative importance of unburnt areas and structural attributes on reptile abundance, richness, and community composition across this landscape. Unburnt areas had higher species richness and diversity, but not overall abundance. Reptile community composition differed significantly between burnt and unburnt areas. Woody debris, which was retained in unburnt areas but depleted in burnt areas, was positively associated with increased reptile diversity and richness. Our results suggest that unburnt areas are vital for maintaining reptile diversity and richness within a woodland landscape after wildfire. These findings demonstrate the importance of ensuring fire management programs retain unburnt patches of vegetation in fire‐prone landscapes to sustain reptile communities.

Long-term post-fire succession of reptiles in an urban remnant in south-western Australia

Background Reptile responses to fire may differ between remnants and contiguous vegetation but this is poorly understood. Aims We aimed to explore long-term (≤15 years) post-fire responses of reptiles in an urban Banksia woodland remnant. Methods We trapped reptiles for 10 nights in November and December each year between 2009 and 2023 inclusive (except 2014 and 2019) to estimate relative abundance. We used mixed models to explore differences between unburnt and burnt sites and changes in both over time. Key results and conclusions The reptile community showed short-term negative responses to fire, but communities had returned to their pre-fire state within 3 years. Two species showed short-term (3 and 5 years respectively) negative responses to fire while two species showed positive responses; one in the first year post-fire only, and the other in sites >8 years post-fire. There did not appear to be consistent differences in fire responses between this study and studies conducted in contiguous Banksia woodlands, although differences in study designs renders this conclusion equivocal. Implications Reptile communities in Banksia woodland remnants, and the species they contain appear to be relatively robust to a wide range of fire regimes.

Experimentally testing animal responses to prescribed fire size and severity.

Deserts are often highly biodiverse and provide important habitats for many threatened species. Fire is a dominant disturbance in deserts, and prescribed burning is increasingly being used by conservation managers and Indigenous peoples to mitigate the damaging effects of climate change, invasive plants, and land-use change. The size, severity, and patchiness of fires can affect how animals respond to fire. However, there are almost no studies examining such burn characteristics in desert environments, which precludes the use of such information in conservation planning.Using a before-after control-impact approach with 20 sampling sites, we studied the outcomes of 10 prescribed burns of varying size (5-267ha), severity, and patchiness to identify which variables best predicted changes in small mammal and reptile species richness and abundance. Three of the 13 species showed a clear response to fire. Captures increased for 2 species (1 mammal, 1 reptile) and decreased for 1 species (a reptile) as the proportional area burned around traps increased. Two other mammal species showed weaker positive responses to fire. Total burn size and burn patchiness were not influential predictors for any species. Changes in capture rates occurred only at sites with the largest and most severe burns. No fire-related changes in capture rates were observed where fires were small and very patchy. Our results suggest that there may be thresholds of fire size or fire severity that trigger responses to fire, which has consequences for management programs underpinned by the patch mosaic burning paradigm. The prescribed burns we studied, which are typical in scale and intensity across many desert regions, facilitated the presence of some taxa and are unlikely to have widespread or persistent negative impacts on small mammal or reptile communities in this ecosystem provided that long unburned habitat harboring threatened species is protected.

Diverse Methods for Diverse Systems: A Large-Scale Comparison of Reptile Sampling Methods

Abstract Reptiles play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem health, yet many species face increasing threats due to various anthropogenic factors. Enhancing our understanding of reptile diversity and habitat use worldwide necessitates evaluating the effectiveness of diverse survey techniques. The relative efficacy of different methods may vary significantly across regions or communities, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach using multiple survey methods over extensive spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of seven survey methods – pitfall traps, funnel traps, spotlighting, arboreal cover boards, incidental encounters, camera traps, and passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) – for assessing reptile biodiversity over several years across an extensive spatial range in open eucalypt woodlands throughout eastern Australia. Pitfall and funnel traps were the most effective methods for detecting reptiles across all sites and latitudes. A combination of pitfall and funnel traps accumulated species the quickest, had high detection probabilities, and accounted for nearly 90% of all different reptile species detected in this study. However, with a decrease in latitude reptile diversity increased and other survey methods became necessary to document the full extent of the reptile communities. Reptile assemblages captured by different survey methods varied significantly, except for the communities captured by pitfall and funnel traps. No single method captured all species, and no species was detected by every method. Passive acoustic monitoring failed to detect any reptiles and may not be viable for assessing reptile biodiversity in Australia. Pitfall and funnel traps proved highly effective for detecting terrestrial reptiles within open eucalypt woodlands in Australia, however, the selection of methods for evaluating reptile biodiversity depends on the objectives and target fauna, and when possible, to maximize species richness, survey designs should incorporate an array of concurrently deployed methods, particularly in regions with higher overall species richness. Nevertheless, if resources and time are limited, pitfall and funnel traps, combined with incidental encounters, should capture the majority of species.

Loss of sea turtle eggs drives the collapse of an insular reptile community

Marine subsidies are vital for terrestrial ecosystems, especially low-productivity islands. However, the impact of losing these subsidies on the terrestrial food web can be difficult to predict. We analyzed 23 years of survey data from Orchid Island to assess the consequences of the abrupt loss of an important marine subsidy. After climate-driven beach erosion and predator exclusion efforts resulted in the abrupt loss of sea turtle eggs from the terrestrial food web, predatory snakes altered their foraging habitats. This increased predation on other reptile species in inland areas, resulting in population declines in most terrestrial reptile species. Comparisons with sea turtle-free locations where lizard populations remained stable supported these findings. Our study emphasizes the cascading effects of generalist predators and the unintended consequences of single-species conservation, highlighting the importance of understanding species interconnectedness and considering potential ripple effects in marine-dependent insular ecosystems.

Non‐linear thresholds in the effect of area on three dimensions of diversity of herpetofauna in the West Indies

AbstractAimThe small‐island effect (SIE) describes an anomalous feature of the species–area relationship (SAR) on smaller compared to larger islands. However, previous studies on SIEs mainly focused on taxonomic diversity and overlooked phylogenetic and functional diversity. In this study, we explored SIEs in three dimensions of diversity. We expect to see the non‐linear thresholds in the effect of area on three dimensions of diversity as well as on community structures, because the dominant assembly processes vary across spatial scales.LocationThe West Indies.TaxonHerpetofauna.MethodsWe derived data on the presence/absence of 199 amphibian species on 163 islands and 614 reptile species on 748 islands in the West Indies. We built a species‐level phylogenetic tree and a species‐level functional tree to estimate six taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity indices. Four community metrics on behalf of the phylogenetic and functional community structure of each island were calculated using a null modelling framework and was quantified using the standardized effect size (SES). We explored the non‐linear thresholds in the effect of area for each of the diversity indices and SES values of community metrics by comparing six piecewise regression models with a linear regression model and a null model.ResultsWe found evidence of SIEs in four diversity indices representing all three dimensions of diversity. Besides, area thresholds were also found in the phylogenetic and functional community structure for both amphibians and reptiles. Random extinction, competitive exclusion and adaptive radiation are the dominant processes structuring reptile communities on small, intermediate and large islands respectively.Main ConclusionsTo conduct a comprehensive biodiversity conservation plan concerning taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity, we suggest it is necessary to explore the SIEs in various diversity indices representing all three dimensions of diversity and apply the lowest threshold value to make management strategies.

Green matters: Dietary assessment of a reptile community using DNA metabarcoding

DNA metabarcoding is widely used for diet characterization and is becoming increasingly important for biodiversity conservation, allowing the understanding of trophic networks and community assemblies. However, to our knowledge, few studies have used this approach to investigate trophic interactions for whole communities and none for reptiles. In particular, few studies have examined the diet composition of Saudi Arabian reptiles, and all have used classical methods only. Therefore, in this work, a non-invasive approach using DNA metabarcoding of faecal pellets was implemented to investigate the diet composition of the reptile community of Wadi Ashar, in AlUla County, north-western Saudi Arabia Kingdom. In the overall diet composition of the community, arthropods were present in 90% of the samples, and plants were present in 63%, revealing the unforeseen importance of plants to this community as a secondary, but also a primary dietary item. For some species, this is the first time that plants have been reported in their diet. A significant effect of reptile body size on diet composition was also demonstrated, indicating its strong influence on prey selection and resource partitioning in the community. This study highlights the importance of community assessments and the power of combining these with non-invasive DNA metabarcoding to accurately assess biodiversity and feeding habits, revealing unknown ecological interactions of often neglected groups. This revolutionary tool for conservation and management provided rapid and holistic information at relatively low costs, allowing to inform local authorities about which elements are central to the sustainable management of the Wadi Ashar community.

Comparative success of two sampling techniques for high-altitude Alpine grassland reptiles under different temporal designs

Abstract Monitoring of wildlife populations is essential for their conservation and requires a carefully chosen methodology. We compared survey effectiveness of reptiles using coverboards and visual encounter surveys in two study sites in the Italian Alps with similar habitats and reptile communities. The two sites shared similar methodologies, cover boards and visual encounter surveys (VES), except for the temporal approach, with one employing a long-lasting monitoring scheme and the other operating on a much shorter time-frame. Coverboards were placed two years before the beginning of the monitoring in the first site, while they were installed only for ten days and then removed each year in the second site. Similarly, VES were spread across the whole reptile activity season (May-September) in the first site, while conducted over nine consecutive days in the second site. Although the observation rate of any species was mainly associated with its relative abundance, reptiles preferred long-established coverboards and all three species present (Zootoca vivipara, Anguis veronensis and Vipera berus) were found underneath them. Only Zootoca vivipara used recently installed ones. On the other hand, short-term daily visual encounter surveys led to a much higher observation rate of Z. vivipara than those spread over the entire season. Our results suggest that coverboards may provide a valuable monitoring tool for reptiles when projects are conducted over long periods. Conversely, when only short-term assessments are possible, no real difference exists between the two methods and observation rate is more influenced by the species abundance than by the chosen method.

Assessment of reptile response to habitat degradation in arid and semi-arid regions

Reptiles are essential components of global biodiversity and dynamic ecosystems due to their ecological roles and functions. However, they face significant vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbances and habitat degradation, resulting in their classification as the third most threatened vertebrate group globally. The current study examines reptile response to anthropogenic habitat degradation in the highly biodiverse Souss-Massa National Park (SMNP), located on the North African Atlantic coast. During 2021 and 2022, linear transects were established within four habitat categories experiencing varying degrees of vegetation cover degradation (undegraded, slightly degraded, moderately degraded, and highly degraded), caused by livestock overgrazing and vegetation clearance. Based on the comparisons of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index means, the vegetation cover differed significantly among the selected habitat categories, with a noticeable reduction in the natural vegetation cover as the level of habitat degradation increased. The visual encounter survey technique was used to search a total of 96 transects, with each of the studied habitat categories being represented by 24 transects. Species richness, diversity, abundance, composition and similarities of reptile communities were determined and compared between habitat categories. During the study period, 11 species (438 individuals) were encountered, accounting for 48 % of SMNP reptile fauna. Species richness, diversity and abundance differed significantly among habitat categories, with the lowest means recorded in the highly degraded areas. Reptiles responded differently to habitat degradation based on their taxonomic levels, thus indicating a species-specific impact of degradation. Species composition varied considerably among habitat categories, with highly degraded areas displaying significant differences and the lowest degree of similarity when compared to all other categories (p = 0.0006). Anthropogenic alterations in reptile abundance distribution and species occurrence likely account for the observed differences in species composition within the different habitat categories. The reported reptile responses to habitat degradation might be attributed to factors associated with natural vegetation, such as food availability, microhabitat preferences, or interactions with other species. Exploring these factors in future research could provide further insights into the mechanisms driving reptile community responses to habitat degradation. Such data can provide valuable information for implementing effective conservation measures to prevent anthropogenic habitat degradation and protect threatened species in arid and semi-arid areas.

Taxonomic and functional diversity of the amphibian and reptile communities of the state of Durango, Mexico

Taxonomic and functional diversity of the amphibian and reptile communities of the state of Durango, Mexico

Paleoenvironments and climate at Nahal Me'arot (Mount Carmel, Israel) during the Middle and Late Pleistocene: The herpetofauna of Tabun Cave and el-Wad Terrace

The Paleolithic record of the Levant encompasses several key changes in human population dynamics and human biological and cultural evolution. These processes are frequently linked to climatic shifts, but high-resolution and long-term paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic records often come from off-site sources, hindering the correlation with human developments observed in the archaeological sites. This paper aims to reconstruct the long-term paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic records of the Middle and Late Pleistocene Nahal Me'arot, Mount Carmel, Israel, using the archaeological herpetofauna assemblages from the Middle Paleolithic (MP) of Tabun Cave (layers C and B; using 18 stratigraphically ordered beds in total) and the Early Natufian of el-Wad Terrace (EWT), and employing the habitat weighting and mutual climate range methods. To strengthen our control of the correlation between the observed variation and the changing environment we also add a modern sample from the same location. We provide a systematic description of the finds and employ taphonomic and taxonomic analyses, which enabled us to identify three major accumulation agents that differentially affected the various samples: raptor predation predominantly in Tabun C, natural entrapment and death in Tabun B, and human consumption in Natufian EWT.The studied Tabun sequence exhibits changes in temperature and humidity. These are more apparent in the lower part (Tabun C), where the driest spell of our sequence also occurred, than in its upper part (Tabun B), and potentially coincide with the succession of two different hominin populations in the site. The correlation with regional off-site records remains challenging. Yet, given the available dates for the layers immediately underlying our driest sample, this dry fluctuation can be cautiously correlated with one of the dry phases apparent in the isotope records at the end of MIS 6. In the Terminal Pleistocene, the Early Natufian EWT reconstruction shows a wetter and cooler climate than the present day, with favorable Eastern Mediterranean vegetation, possibly enabling the long-term sedentary habitation that is suggested for this phase. Finally, our results testify to the general resilience of amphibian and reptile communities through the sequence but also to the rising impact of human activities on the reptile community during the Natufian.

Lack of refuge as a bottleneck for reptiles in intensive woody crops

Abstract The lack of refuge has been suggested as one of the main factors affecting reptiles in intensive crops, but this theory has not been explored to any great extent. The aim of this work is to compare the reptile abundance and species richness between traditional and intensive vineyards and olive groves, and to test the acceptance of artificial shelter due to its scarcity in the new intensive woody crop. A total of 288 transects were carried out (144 in olive groves and 144 in vineyards) in six different types of plots: traditional olive groves, traditional vineyards, intensive olive groves with and without artificial refuge, and trellis vineyards with and without artificial refuge. The results showed a greater species richness and abundance of reptiles in the traditional plots than in the intensive plots (independently of the experimental refuges added). An important number of animals were observed using the artificial refuges in olive groves. Furthermore, most of the individuals were located on or escaped to old trees in traditional systems, including an important proportion of reptiles hidden in olive trunk cavities, whereas more individuals were observed on the ground in intensive systems. Our finding suggests the importance for reptile communities of the traditional agricultural systems due to the high availability of the refuge provided by old olive tree trunks and free-standing gobelet vineyards. Our results show that providing refuge may mitigate the negative effects of woody crops intensification on reptile communities.

Functional group analyses of herpetofauna in South Korea using a large dataset

Functional traits are characteristics of species that affect their fitness and ecosystem, and they greatly influence ecological niches. Thus, biodiversity assessment based on functional groups rather than species per se can more realistically reflect the ecological niche space. As essential players of ecosystem functions, herpetofauna are appropriate subjects of functional trait-based analyses. In this study, using a nationwide dataset and applying trait information and ecological niche modeling, the richness within each functional group, and the taxonomic and functional diversity indices of South Korean herpetofauna were visualized to identify and compare the geographic distributions. The results revealed that the reptile community seemed more locally diverse with more overlapping randomized patterns among groups than amphibians, while amphibians showed wider distributions and a higher within-grid occurrence ratio. Functional diversity indices of reptiles also showed more randomized geographic patterns with higher levels at Jejudo Island than amphibians. The findings of this study may help to identify biodiversity hot spots and understand its ecosystem health. Increasing survey data and trait information will improve the assessment.

Fire and habitat variables explain reptile community abundance and richness in subtropical open eucalypt forests

Fire alters habitat structure, thereby influencing fauna reliant on specific habitat features, particularly those with low dispersal capability such as reptiles. We quantified reptile responses to fire regimes in subtropical open eucalypt forests of southeast Queensland, Australia, with differing fire histories to isolate fire parameters that may alter reptile communities. We sampled 15 unique fire regimes from three sites. Active reptile searches and habitat assessments were completed at 74 plots to determine the influence of fire frequency, time since fire and fire type on reptile composition. The combination of fire parameters and habitat variables were key predictors of reptile communities within models. We identified a negative relationship for overall abundance and Lygisaurus foliorum with fire frequency, and higher species richness and abundances of two species in top disposal burn sites. Shrub and tree cover percentage were important predictors of three individual species. Concinnia martini also exhibited a negative response to time since fire. These results highlight the need to consider multiple fire parameters when explaining reptile community responses to fire owing to mixed responses and varied habitat preferences. Detailed recording and consideration of applied fire regimes should support adaptive management in relation to planned burning to support biodiversity outcomes.