Lizard Species Richness Research Articles

Field surveys along habitat gradients revealed differences in herpetofauna assemblage in Margalla Hills National Park, Islamabad, Pakistan.

This study was conducted to see whether herpetofaunal assemblage differed amongst hiking trails, undisturbed forest and urban areas within the Margalla Hills National Park, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan. Circular plot area-constrained searches (45 plots in each habitat, each plot with an area of 25 m2) were used from March 2018 to July 2019. We recorded seven amphibian species, nine lizard species and six snake species. The species richness of amphibians and lizards was the same in the studied strata, while the detection and encounter rate of snakes was lower in the undisturbed forest and urban areas. The encounter rate of amphibians differed significantly between urban areas and hiking trails/undisturbed forest. The encounter rate and population density of lizards differed significantly between undisturbed forest and urban areas. The most frequently encountered amphibian species along the hiking trail and urban areas was Duttaphrynus stomaticus, with Hoplobatrachus tigerinus in undisturbed forest. The most common and frequently encountered lizard species along the hiking trail and urban areas was Hemidactylus brookii, while the Ophisops jerdonii was the most frequently seen in undisturbed forest. The most common and frequently encountered snake species along the hiking trail and undisturbed forest was the Indotyphlops braminus, while Ptyas mucosa was the most common in urban areas. The subsequent bio-assessment, based on herpetofauna, of the Park revealed good to excellent biotic integrity The Park faces threats including livestock grazing, alien invasive vegetation and human disturbance due to settlements, restaurants and tourism-related activities. While several of these threats have been mitigated since the establishment of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, the Park still requires improved management, especially regarding regulating tourism.

Latitudinal and environmental patterns of species richness in lizards and snakes across continental North America

AbstractAimLittle is known about the contributions of individual clades to the broader latitudinal diversity gradients of lizards and snakes in North America. Additionally, the environmental variables underpinning these patterns have not been extensively studied, nor have the relationships between squamate species richness and biome variety, a proxy for habitat heterogeneity. Here, we deconstruct the latitudinal diversity gradient of squamates and investigate lizard and snake species richness in relation to environmental gradients and biomes across continental North America.LocationNorth America, excluding islands.TaxonSquamata (lizards and snakes).MethodsWe collated a suite of environmental variables (n = 10) and squamate species ranges (n = 1,152) in an equal‐area grid system (100 × 100 km cells) spanning continental North America. We deconstructed the latitudinal diversity gradient of squamates and examined species richness patterns for all lizards, all snakes and several individual squamate clades. We used multiple linear regressions to determine which environmental factors are most important for each squamate clade. Finally, we documented species richness within biomes and tested for correlations between species richness and biome variety.ResultsSquamates exhibit a strong latitudinal diversity gradient across continental North America. Snakes are more widespread and have a stronger gradient than lizards. Our multiple linear regression results indicate strong associations between species richness and environmental variables for all individual squamate clades analysed; temperature variables are strongly positively correlated with species richness. Biome variety is more strongly correlated with lizard species richness than snake species richness. Squamates are most species‐rich in tropical/subtropical forests, deserts and mangroves.Main conclusionsMost snake clades in North America exhibit strong latitudinal diversity gradients, but only two lizard clades, Dactyloidae (anoles) and Gekkota (geckos), display strong gradients and thus drive the overall lizard pattern. Squamate clades differ in their responses to environmental gradients, as reflected by their species richness patterns, with warmer climates generally harboring more species. Lizards are more strongly associated with habitat heterogeneity than snakes are, consistent with results from previous studies. Squamates in more rapidly shifting biomes (e.g. deserts, mangroves) may face a greater risk of extinction from impending climate change.

Predicting past, current and future habitat suitability and geographic distribution of the Iranian endemic species Microgecko latifi (Sauria: Gekkonidae)

The genus Microgecko Nikolsky 1907 belongs to the family Gekkonidae and contains eight species distributed in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, northwestern India and, probably, in Iraq. Among them, the Latifi's dwarf gecko, Microgecko latifi, is endemic to central and southwestern Iran. We used MaxEnt modeling approach to investigate the effects of climate change and potential distribution of M. latifi. A total of 29 presence records and five factors related to precipitation and temperature were collected and used in the modeling approach for past, present and future. Our findings showed that Central Persia, the largest terrestrial ecoregion of Iran, hosts the most suitable environment for M. latifi under the current climate as well as under future scenarios. Differently, Zagros Mountains hosted the most suitable environment for this species under past climate. This is in line with previous studies that identified Zagros, Alborz, Kopet-Dagh Mountains and northwestern Iran as important Pleistocene refugia. Among environmental variables, precipitation of the warmest quarter was the most important driving factor for all models. According to other studies, species richness and diversity of lizards in Iran are higher in hot and arid environments; also considering the possible effects of global warming, further investigations are required in those environments.

Reptiles of the Serra das Torres Natural Monument: using the Rapid Assessment method to fill a knowledge gap in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

Abstract: Data on the composition of local reptile assemblages in several Brazilian ecosystems can still be considered relatively restricted in scope in most cases. In this study, we conducted surveys in the Serra das Torres Natural Monument, located in the municipalities of Atílio Vivacqua, Muqui, and Mimoso do Sul, using the Rapid Assessments method (RAP) during 30 days in the rainy season of 2018. We sampled actively for approximately 1320 hours with a 6-10 person crew, supplemented by 720 hours of passive sampling (30 bucket-days) using pitfall traps with drift fences. We recorded 34 reptile species during our sampling method (2 amphisbaenid, 11 lizards, and 21 snakes) and an occasional encounter, after the end of sampling, that added a chelonian species to the list, Hydromedusa maximiliani, totaling 35 reptile species. The Dipsadidae was the family with the greatest snake species richness and, the Gymnophtalmidae had the greatest lizard species richness. The species richness recorded in the Serra das Torres Natural Monument (Ntotal = 35) represents ca. 27% of all reptile species found in the state of Espírito Santo (N = 130). The most abundant lizard species was Leposoma scincoides followed by Ecpleopus gaudichaudii and, the most abundant snake species was Bothrops jararaca being markedly higher than that recorded in similar studies. Twenty-seven percent of the reptile species recorded in our study are endemic to the Atlantic Forest and 30% (N = 10) have been recorded less than five times previously in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. Our study reinforces the need for the conservation of the Serra das Torres Natural Monument because of its importance as a reservoir of a considerable portion of the reptile biodiversity of Espírito Santo state, and of the Atlantic Forest biome as a whole.

The global biogeography of lizard functional groups

AbstractAimUnderstanding the mechanisms determining species richness is a primary goal of biogeography. Richness patterns of sub‐groups within a taxon are usually assumed to be driven by similar processes. However, if richness of distinct ecological strategies respond differently to the same processes, inferences made for an entire taxon may be misleading. We deconstruct the global lizard assemblage into functional groups and examine the congruence among richness patterns between them. We further examine the species richness – functional richness relationship to elucidate the way functional diversity contributes to the overall species richness patterns.LocationGlobal.MethodsUsing comprehensive biological trait databases we classified the global lizard assemblage into ecological strategies based on body size, diet, activity times and microhabitat preferences, using Archetypal Analysis. We then examined spatial gradients in the richness of each strategy at the one‐degree grid cell, biome, and realm scales.ResultsWe found that lizards can best be characterized by seven “ecological strategies”: scansorial, terrestrial, nocturnal, herbivorous, fossorial, large, and semi‐aquatic. There are large differences among the global richness patterns of these strategies. While the major richness hotspot for lizards in general is in Australia, several strategies exhibit highest richness in the Amazon Basin. Importantly, the global maximum in lizard species richness is achieved at intermediate values of functional diversity and increasing functional diversity further result in a slow decline of species richness.Main conclusionsThe deconstruction of the global lizard assemblage along multiple ecological axes offers a new way to conceive lizard diversity patterns. It suggests that local lizard richness mostly increases when species belonging to particular ecological strategies become hyper‐diverse there, and not because more ecological types are present in the most species rich localities. Thus maximum richness and maximum ecological diversity do not overlap. These results shed light on the global richness pattern of lizards, and highlight previously unidentified spatial patterns in understudied functional groups.

Physiological evolution during adaptive radiation: A test of the island effect in Anolis lizards.

Phenotypic evolution is often exceptionally rapid on islands, resulting in numerous, ecologically diverse species. Although adaptive radiation proceeds along various phenotypic axes, the island effect of faster evolution has been mostly tested with regard to morphology. Here, we leveraged the physiological diversity and species richness of Anolis lizards to examine the evolutionary dynamics of three key traits: heat tolerance, body temperature, and cold tolerance. Contrary to expectation, we discovered slower heat tolerance evolution on islands. Additionally, island species evolve toward higher optimal body temperatures than mainland species. Higher optima and slower evolution in upper physiological limits are consistent with the Bogert effect, or evolutionary inertia due to thermoregulation. Correspondingly, body temperature is higher and more stable on islands than on the American mainland, despite similarity in thermal environments. Greater thermoregulation on islands may occur due to ecological release from competitors and predators compared to mainland environments. By reducing the costs of thermoregulation, ecological opportunity on islands may actually stymie, rather than hasten, physiological evolution. Our results emphasize that physiological diversity is an important axis of ecological differentiation in the adaptive radiation of anoles, and that behavior can impart distinct macroevolutionary footprints on physiological diversity on islands and continents.

Phylogenetic community structure as an ecological indicator of anthropogenic disturbance for endemic lizards in a biodiversity hotspot

The expansion of human-altered landscapes affects biodiversity on every continent. In the Cerrado biodiversity hotspot of central Brazil, Eucalyptus plantations increasingly claim large tracts of native habitats thanks to favorable soils, climate and booming pulp firm profits. Yet, the highs and lows of the economy including government incentives over the years riddled the landscape with abandoned plantations, which are not subject to active restoration. Despite the well-documented pattern anthropogenic disturbances negatively affect Cerrado biodiversity, little is known about the processes driving species co-existence within these abandoned plantations.Herein, we use phylogenetic community structure indices to test if potential processes assembling lizard communities differ between undisturbed Cerrado habitats and disturbed abandoned Eucalyptus plantations; and if so, are these processes predictable. In addition, we explore the applicability of phylogenetic community structure indices as ecological indicators of anthropogenic disturbance in the Cerrado biodiversity hotspot.We address these questions at a local scale, recording lizard species richness and abundance along transects of undisturbed Cerrado and adjacent disturbed abandoned Eucalyptus plantations. Morphological measurements were collected from captured lizards to test for trait conservatism. We investigated if phylogenetic community structure is altered in a predictable manner by comparing (i) phylogenetic species variability, (ii) phylogenetic species richness and (iii) phylogenetic species evenness. To test for significant differences between undisturbed and disturbed communities, we performed two-tailed paired t-tests for each phylogenetic community index. We also test for phylogenetic clustering and overdispersion to determine if potential processes assembling lizard communities differ between undisturbed and disturbed communities. Furthermore, we compare phylogenetic community structure indices to other commonly used diversity indices (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity) to evaluate their applicability as ecological indicators of anthropogenic disturbance in the Cerrado.We demonstrated phylogenetic clustering in two out of three of the undisturbed Cerrado lizard communities supporting habitat filtering as the potential dominant assembly process; whereas 67% of the disturbed Eucalyptus communities showed phylogenetic overdispersion supporting competition as the potential predominate assembly process. This indicates anthropogenic disturbance, in the form of abandoned Eucalyptus plantations, may alter phylogenetic community structure in a predictable manner, leading to the loss of closely related species in the disturbed plantation forests. The highly endemic biota of the Cerrado is composed of closely related species that share similar traits for survival, most likely a consequence of frequent episodic fires during the dry season. Interestingly, phylogenetic community structure indices and diversity indices did not converge on the same disturbed site to prioritize for active restoration; thereby, providing a cautionary tale on the applicability of the indices as ecological indicators for the Cerrado biodiversity.

The Eurasian hot nightlife: Environmental forces associated with nocturnality in lizards

AbstractAimLizards are ancestrally diurnal, and most of them remain so. Nocturnality is common among lizards, but the environmental factors associated with lizard nocturnal activity are still unknown. Here, we contrasted the ambient temperature and productivity hypotheses, where we predicted that cold temperatures will pose a stonger limit to nocturnal species richness than diurnal lizards. Moreover, we contrasted the relative importance of annual, day and night mean temperatures to pinpoint the drivers of nocturnal lizard richness.LocationMainland Eurasia.MethodsWe collected distribution range and activity time data for all 1,113 lizard species found throughout mainland Eurasia. This represents the largest geographical scope to date, for studies of lizard species richness. We examined the spatial patterns of nocturnal species richness in relationship to diurnal species richness across environmental gradients of ambient temperature and productivity.ResultsNocturnal lizards are richest in the tropics and in deserts, and their richness decreases with latitude. However, nocturnal lizards are absent from the highest latitudes and coldest regions inhabited by lizards. Diurnal and nocturnal lizards respond in a similar manner to climatic factors. Ambient temperature has a strong influence on both, whereas productivity is more tightly related to the proportion of nocturnal species.Main conclusionsNocturnality is widespread among Eurasian lizards. However, nocturnal lizards are absent from invariably cold regions, and low temperatures seem to be a limiting factor for lizard activity period. We suggest that the year‐round warm nights of the tropics reduce the cost of being active at night and open the nocturnal niche for many lizards. In hot deserts, the combination of hot days and aridity increases the cost of diurnal activity, whereas nocturnal activity provides a shelter from these extreme conditions.

Non-random lizard extinctions in land-bridge Amazonian forest islands after 28 years of isolation

Major hydropower infrastructure has become a leading driver of biodiversity loss in the lowland tropics. Terrestrial species typically become stranded in post-isolation land-bridge islands within hydroelectric reservoirs. Understanding the resulting extinction dynamics of insular communities is critical to inform, if not to avert, the ongoing blitzkrieg of dam development. Here we assess the effects of forest patch and landscape metrics on diurnal lizard species richness and composition within the Balbina Hydroelectric Dam and surrounding areas in the Central Brazilian Amazon. This 28-yr-old dam created a reservoir of ~4438km2, comprising 3546 islands. We sampled 25 of these islands (0.83–1466ha) and five mainland continuous forest sites, one of which placed along stream banks. We further related morpho-ecological traits and the geographic distribution of lizard species to the spatial metrics of islands where they occurred. Using 100L-pitfall traps operated over 5447 trap-days, we recorded 1123 lizards from 17 taxa, two of which exclusively found along stream banks within continuous forest. Island area was the best predictor of species richness and composition. Small islands (≤2ha) harboured fewer than a third of all species typically observed in larger islands and continuous forest (≥8 species), and only islands ≥100ha retained nearly complete lizard faunas. Lizard assemblages inhabiting small, isolated islands consisted almost exclusively of an oversimplified set of widely distributed, large-bodied, habitat generalist, heliophile species associated with open areas and forest edges, and that feed on a wide spectrum of prey sizes. These wholesale changes in lizard community structure were characterized by severe losses in functional traits, and may profoundly affect ecosystem functioning.

The latitudinal diversity gradient and interspecific competition: no global relationship between lizard dietary niche breadth and species richness

AbstractAimDietary niche breadth has long been hypothesized to decrease towards lower latitudes as the numbers of competitors increase. Geographical variation in niche breadth is also hypothesized to be linked to high ambient energy levels, water availability, productivity and climate stability – reflecting an increased number of available prey taxa. Range size and body size are also hypothesized to be strongly and positively associated with niche breadth. We sought to determine which of these factors is associated with geographical variation in niche breadth across broad spatial scales and thus potentially drive the latitudinal diversity gradient.LocationGlobal.MethodsWe collated volumetric dietary data for 308 lizard species. For each species, we gathered data on number of sympatric lizard species (a proxy for the number of competitors), annual temperature and precipitation, net primary productivity, seasonality, range size and body size. We examined the relationship between dietary niche breadth and focal parameters using both ordinary and phylogenetic generalized least squares regressions.ResultsNiche breadth was positively related to annual precipitation, temperature seasonality and range size, and negatively related to body size. Lizard species richness increased towards lower latitudes. Dietary niche breadth, however, was unrelated to parameters reflecting diversity gradients, such as primary productivity, annual temperature, precipitation seasonality and, crucially, the number of potential competitors.Main conclusionsContrary to prevailing ecological theory, competition is unrelated to dietary niche breadth. We found no support for interspecific competition driving the latitudinal diversity gradient. Rather, we found variation in niche breadth to be associated with water availability, climate stability, range size and body size. Our study casts doubt on the common assumption that tropical species are specialists, promoting greater alpha diversity, and on the assumption that the number of sympatric species is reflected in the intensity of interspecific competition.

When invasion may not be harmful: niche relations in a lizard assemblage

Some studies have suggested that non-native species invasions may threaten local diversity by creating homogenized environments. However, many studies have been based on limited or anecdotal data, and/or have failed to consider the influence of habitat modification together with possible influences of non-native species on native ones. Hemidactylus mabouia (Squamata, Gekkonidae) likely invaded natural environments in Brazil hundreds of years ago. Yet, little is known about whether it affects native lizard fauna. We tested whether H. mabouia negatively influences native lizard species richness and abundance on a regional scale and locally through niche overlap. We analyzed species abundance and richness of nine lizard assemblages, in five of which H. mabouia occurred. We evaluated niche overlap of species in a lizard assemblage with high H. mabouia abundance through null models. Niche axes included spatial use, temporal activity and diet. Although species abundance did not differ among sites with and without the invasive species, the presence of H. mabouia seems constrained to the richer assemblages sampled. We observed significantly higher niche overlap in spatial (ɸobs = 0.63; ɸexp = 0.37; Pobs ≥ Pexp = 0.0002) and trophic axes (ɸobs = 0.46; ɸexp = 0.17; Pobs ≥ Pexp < 0.001), but not in activity. When we considered all axes (three-dimensional niche), there was no overlapping among the lizard species. Our findings did not support the hypothesis that this non-native species negatively influences other sympatric lizard species.

Exotic trees modify the thermal landscape and food resources for lizard communities.

Increasing numbers of invasive plant species are establishing around the globe, and these species frequently form dense stands that alter habitat structure in critical ways. Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the impacts of invasive alien plant species on native fauna. We first ask whether alien pine trees impact lizard species richness in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, a world-renowned biodiversity hotspot, by examining differences in lizard species richness, abundance, and diversity between native mountain fynbos and exotic pine tree-dominated habitats. We then examine two mutually non-exclusive processes: (i) changes in the thermal quality of the habitat and (ii) changes in the availability of food resources, to explain differences in lizard assemblages among habitat types. Lizard richness, abundance, and diversity were greater in fynbos habitat than in fynbos heavily invaded by pine and in pine plantations. The thermal quality of the environment and food resources was consistently higher in native fynbos than in pine forests, but these responses were more varied when comparisons were made along an invasion gradient and among seasons. Our results suggest that management strategies must consider spatially and temporally detailed measurements of thermal regimes and resources to assess the impacts of invasive vegetation on reptile diversity.

Historical colonization and dispersal limitation supplement climate and topography in shaping species richness of African lizards (Reptilia: Agaminae).

To what extent deep-time dispersal limitation shapes present-day biodiversity at broad spatial scales remains elusive. Here, we compiled a continental dataset on the distributions of African lizard species in the reptile subfamily Agaminae (a relatively young, Neogene radiation of agamid lizards which ancestors colonized Africa from the Arabian peninsula) and tested to what extent historical colonization and dispersal limitation (i.e. accessibility from areas of geographic origin) can explain present-day species richness relative to current climate, topography, and climate change since the late Miocene (~10 mya), the Pliocene (~3 mya), and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 0.021 mya). Spatial and non-spatial multi-predictor regression models revealed that time-limited dispersal via arid corridors is a key predictor to explain macro-scale patterns of species richness. In addition, current precipitation seasonality, current temperature of the warmest month, paleo-temperature changes since the LGM and late Miocene, and topographic relief emerged as important drivers. These results suggest that deep-time dispersal constraints — in addition to climate and mountain building — strongly shape current species richness of Africa’s arid-adapted taxa. Such historical dispersal limitation might indicate that natural movement rates of species are too slow to respond to rates of ongoing and projected future climate and land use change.

Reptile and amphibian response to oak regeneration treatments in productive southern Appalachian hardwood forest

Forest restoration efforts commonly employ silvicultural methods that alter light and competition to influence species composition. Changes to forest structure and microclimate may adversely affect some taxa (e.g., terrestrial salamanders), but positively affect others (e.g., early successional birds). Salamanders are cited as indicators of ecosystem health because of their sensitivity to forest floor microclimate. We used drift fences with pitfall and funnel traps in a replicated Before-After-Control-Impact design to experimentally assess herpetofaunal community response to initial application of three silvicultural methods proposed to promote oak regeneration: prescribed burning; midstory herbicide; and shelterwood harvests (initial treatment of the shelterwood-burn method) and controls, before and for five years post-treatment. Species richness of all herpetofauna, amphibians, reptiles, frogs, salamanders, or snakes was unaffected by any treatment, but lizard species richness increased in the shelterwood harvest. Capture rate of total salamanders decreased post-harvest in shelterwood units after a 2–3year delay; Plethodon teyahalee decreased post-harvest in shelterwoods, but also in control units. In contrast, capture rate of total lizards and Plestiodon fasciatus increased in shelterwood stands within the first year post-harvest. Prescribed burn and midstory herbicide treatments did not affect any reptile or amphibian species. A marginally lower proportion of juvenile to adult P. teyahalee, and a higher proportion of juvenile P. fasciatus in shelterwood than control units suggested that heavy canopy removal and associated change in microclimate may differentially affect reproductive success among species. Our study illustrates the importance of longer-term studies to detect potential changes in herpetofaunal communities that may not be immediately apparent after disturbances, and highlights the importance of including multiple taxa for a balanced perspective when weighing impacts of forest management activities.

Effects of habitat alteration on lizard community and food web structure in a desert steppe ecosystem

Habitat alteration has major impacts on biodiversity, but we do not fully understand how changes in vegetation structure alter community interactions among vertebrate predators and their prey. Desertification is a major threat to degraded steppe habitats, prompting re-vegetation efforts to slow wind erosion. These processes alter both the structure and composition of the vegetation, and thus could influence predator and prey abundances, and their interactions. We investigated how habitat structure (degraded [sparse], natural [intermediate], or re-vegetated [dense]) influences lizard species richness, abundance, and diversity, and the interactions between these predators and invertebrate prey in the arid desert steppe. Structurally sparse and dense vegetation supported higher lizard abundances than natural habitats, with Phrynocephalus frontalis and Eremias argus dominating sparse and dense habitats respectively, and P. frontalis and E. multiocellata co-dominating natural habitats. Habitats that were structurally dense also supported the most complex trophic interactions among predators and prey, whereas structurally sparse habitats had low interaction diversity and interaction evenness, with most energy flowing along few trophic pathways. Steppe degradation therefore simplifies community trophic interactions, and restoration through enhanced protection of natural steppe habitat structure may play an important role in the conservation of healthy predator–prey communities. Desertification is a pressing issue throughout most of the arid steppe; revegetation efforts resulted in robust communities, in addition to promoting persistence of E. argus, which is endemic and threatened. Maintaining a heterogenous structural landscape thus may be the most promising way to combat desertification while at the same time restoring predator–prey community composition.

Diversity and Distribution of Lizards in Fragmented Atlantic Forest Landscape in Southeastern Brazil

Abstract In this study, we evaluated how different lizard species were distributed in a fragmented Atlantic Forest landscape and the influence of landscape metrics on lizard species richness in sampled fragments. We sampled (between July 2007 and March 2010) three continuous forest sites of the Reserva Ecologica de Guapiacu (REGUA), 12 forest fragments of different sizes and five pasture matrix areas. We recorded 8 lizard species, the most abundant being Ecpleopus gaudichaudii and Enyalius brasiliensis. Species richness in the continuous forest sites (N = 4) was lower than in the set of fragments (N = 8); fragments harbored both typical forest species and more generalist species. The forest areas differed in the composition of lizard species, with continuous forest sites having a composition similar to each other and to larger fragments, whereas the smaller fragments differed from the larger fragments but showed similarity to each other. These data indicated that fragment size (area) can be an important f...

The use of herpetofauna and cultural values to identify priority conservation forests on Malaita, Solomon Islands.

Due to limited financial and technical resources, there is a pressing need to identify priority areas and strategies for conservation globally. This study aims to prioritize important forest areas for conservation on the island of Malaita, Solomon Islands. Five different forest types were sampled to quantify biodiversity using the species richness of frogs and lizards (herpetofauna) as a biological indicator of conservation status. Unlogged coastal, unlogged lowland and unlogged upland forests have minimal disturbance whereas logged lowland forests and plantation teak forests are heavily disturbed. Subsequently, the effects of human modification on forest systems are also quantified based on anthropogenic disturbance. Interviews with local community members were conducted to gather associated local traditional knowledge on the cultural importance of frogs, lizards and forest habitats. Prioritization methods based on species richness, species uniqueness, cultural importance and threatened status are used to identify key forest areas. The four main results found are: 1) unlogged lowland forests have the greatest biodiversity value, 2) unlogged lowland forests also have the highest cultural value based on local uses, 3) logged lowland forests are biologically important, and 4) unlogged coastal forests and unlogged lowland forests are under the greatest threat from anthropogenic activities. Based on these results, the conservation of unlogged lowland forests on Malaita should be prioritized. These results also highlight the importance of combining biological sampling with cultural information to improve the efficiency and long-term success of conservation actions.

Patterns of lizard species richness within National Parks and Biosphere Reserves across North America's deserts

Warm deserts world-wide provide habitats for rich lizard species assemblages; North American deserts are no exception, however the desert regions of the US and Mexico are experiencing increasing habitat changes from multiple anthropogenic sources. Our objective here was to document current lizard species richness patterns across the North American deserts within the existing network of conservation areas. We identified 110 lizard species occurring across one or more of the 19 sites we analyzed. Three species richness hot spots were identified; a northern Baja California faunal extension into southern California in the US, and in Mexico, two sites within the state of Coahuila, as well as high endemism in the Cape Region of Baja California Sur. Species richness was associated with sites where desert ecoregions overlap and with insular isolation. Our uncertainty regarding how species will respond to the multifaceted aspects of global change is such that large protected natural areas with complex topography may be the most effective strategy for protecting desert lizards along with overall biodiversity. The 19 sites we analyzed represent the cores of a more robust conservation network that will be needed for the protection of biodiversity across North American Deserts.

Effects of anthropogenic activities on lizard communities in northern Madagascar

Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot threatened by habitat loss, which is detrimental to the future survival of forest-dwelling herpetofauna. For conservation purposes, it is essential to determine how species respond to different types of anthropogenic habitat alteration. We conducted standardized field surveys (a variation of visual encounter survey) to assess species richness, abundance and diversity among forest, clear-cut and orchard habitat types in Montagne des Francais, north Madagascar. Forest sites proved to be very different from clear-cut and orchard sites with regards to habitat structure. Lizard species richness, abundance and diversity were significantly lower in clear-cut sites, with only 11% of the observed forest diversity recorded. This shift in species occurrence suggests that lizards are particularly sensitive to this type of habitat alteration. Orchard cultivation did not affect lizard species richness to the same extent, as 56% of the observed forest diversity was recorded in this habitat type. Furthermore lizard abundance was significantly higher in orchard habitat. These observations indicate that although anthropogenic activity can have an adverse effect on the lizard fauna of a given site, it will seldom lead to a total loss of diversity as species typical of pristine forest (specialists) are replaced by species adapted to secondary habitats (often generalists). Our results support the contention that anthropogenic habitat alteration can have a strong negative influence on lizard communities. Researchers should continue to identify which species may be lost or become more vulnerable in future (as a result of population decline) in response to anthropogenic habitat alteration.

Lizard species richness patterns in China and its environmental associations

Many ecological hypotheses have been widely used to explain species richness variation across the globe. We investigated lizard species richness patterns in China, and identified areas of high species richness. Furthermore, we tested hypotheses concerning the relationships between lizard richness and environmental variables. A large data including 30,902 records of point locality data for 151 lizard species occurring in China were retrieved from Herpetology museums of CIB/CAS and other museums through HerpNET, and published sources, and then predicted distributions maps were generated using ecological niche modeling. We overlaid all species prediction maps into a composite map to describe species richness patterns. A multiple regression analysis using eigenvector-based spatial filtering (SEVM) was performed to examine the best environmental predictors of species richness. Richness peaked mainly in southern China located in the Oriental realm. Our best multiple regression models explained a total of 80.1% variance of lizard richness (r2 = 0.801; F = 203.47; P < 0.001). Among related factors in shaping species richness distribution, the best environmental predictors of species richness were: frost-day frequency, elevation, vegetation, and wet-day frequency. Based on models selection, our results revealed that underlying mechanisms related to different ecological hypotheses might work together and best explain lizard richness in China. We are in an initial step to develop a large data set on species richness, and provide the necessary conservation implications from habitat loss. Additional studies that test species richness at different geographical scale are required to better understand the factors that may influence the species richness distribution in East Asia.