Plant consumption in coastal populations of the lizard<i>Tropidurus torquatus</i>(Reptilia: Squamata: Tropiduridae): how do herbivory rates vary along their geographic range?

Siqueira, Carla da Costa; Kiefer, Mara Cíntia; Sluys, Monique Van; Rocha, Carlos Frederico Duarte

doi:10.1080/00222933.2010.520826

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 54 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…We do not believe that effects of host age (which relates to body size), with older lizards having had a longer time of potential exposure to mites during their life, are significant because of the relatively short time that trombiculid chiggers remain attached to their hosts (3 to 5 days on averagesee references in Shatrov 2000). As some species of Tropidurus are mainly carnivorous as juveniles and become omnivorous as adults, increasing steadily their rate of plant consumption as they grow (Fialho et al 2000;Siqueira et al 2011;Maia-Carneiro et al 2017), ontogenetic shifts concerning diet and microhabitat use for food acquisition might affect intensities of infestation. There are reports for T. torquatus (Cunha-Barros and Rocha 2000) and other species of Tropidurus (Carvalho et al 2006;Rocha et al 2008) of positive associations between mite infestation intensities and host body sizes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High prevalence and intensity of infestation of Eutrombicula alfreddugesi (Acarina: Trombiculidae) on Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae): effects of body size and on body condition across ten populations along the Brazilian coast

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigated the infestation of Eutrombicula alfreddugesi mites on Tropidurus torquatus lizards across ten coastal populations in Brazil to evaluate variations among localities and relationships with intrinsic features of hosts (body size and body condition). For each population, we calculated the prevalence of infestation and the mean number of mites per host (mean intensity of infestation). Lizards from all populations were infested by mites, with prevalence ranging from 95.6 to 100%. Mean intensities of infestation also were always high, ranging from 55.3 ± 88.8 to 280.9 ± 208.2 mites per lizard. The lizard body regions most intensely used as microhabitat by mites were the axillae and neck (which bear "mite pockets" in T. torquatus). In most populations, the number of mites tended to increase with the body size of hosts. The body condition of hosts and the intensity of infestation were positively correlated, considering the total sample (i.e. lizards of all populations pooled). The main microhabitats (i.e., body regions) used by E. alfreddugesi on T. torquatus represented total intensities of infestation, suggesting that counting mites on these body regions provide a useful index to estimate the overall intensity of infestation. Lizards are suitable and predictable resources for parasitic mites, which take advantage of ecological and morphological features of host individuals and species, with large body sizes, imbricated and keeled scales, and presence of skin folds and mite pockets favoring occupation and high intensities of infestation by mites.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High prevalence and intensity of infestation of Eutrombicula alfreddugesi (Acarina: Trombiculidae) on Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae): effects of body size and on body condition across ten populations along the Brazilian coast

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Tropidurids from neotropical savannas were more affected by ecological factors than other lineages (Mesquita et al 2007), at least on diet composition, thus stressing the importance of local conditions in determining dietary patterns. We believe that the observed interpopulational variation in some aspects of the feeding ecology of coastal T. torquatus (including plant consumption; Siqueira et al 2011) results from local environmental factors, mainly the availability of food items.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Diet composition of Tropidurus torquatus of the coastal populations studied was, in general, composed mainly by arthropods, but included high counts of plant material (see Siqueira et al 2011). This result is similar to those reported for other T. torquatus populations (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in the diet of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus along its coastal range in Brazil

et al. 2013

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The diet composition of lizards of a given species may vary among different populations. The feeding ecology of the tropidurid lizard Tropidurus torquatus was studied in 10 coastal areas in Brazil in order to detect to what extent the diet varies along its geographic range. A non-metric multidimensional scaling technique revealed three groups of localities according to the diet composition: one characterized by a relatively high consumption of Isoptera, one characterized by a relatively high proportion of plant matter, and one in which there was a great importance of Formicidae. We found a weak pattern of latitudinal differences in restingas regarding the general consumption of items by T. torquatus, probably because this is a generalist and opportunistic lizard, which consumes most of the available types of potential food items in the habitat. However, lizards from northern populations consumed a larger quantity of smaller items (e.g., Isoptera) than those from southern populations. In the southern populations, on the other hand, larger items such as Coleoptera, Lepidoptera larvae and fruits were more frequently consumed. It is likely that the observed interpopulational variation in some aspects of the feeding ecology of coastal T. torquatus is mainly given by food availability. Resumo: A composição da dieta de lagartos de uma determinada espécie pode variar entre diferentes populações. A ecologia alimentar do lagarto tropidurídeo Tropidurus torquatus foi estudada em 10 áreas da costa do Brasil a fim de detectar em que extensão a dieta varia ao longo de sua distribuição geográfica. Uma técnica de escalonamento multidimensional não-métrico revelou três grupos de localidades de acordo com a composição da dieta: um caracterizado por um relativamente alto consumo de Isoptera, um caracterizado pela relativamente alta proporção de material vegetal, e um em que houve uma grande importância de Formicidae. Nós encontramos um fraco padrão de diferença latitudinal nas restingas em relação ao consumo geral de itens por T. torquatus, provavelmente porque este é um lagarto generalista e oportunista, que consome a maioria dos tipos disponíveis de potenciais itens alimentares no habitat. No entanto, os lagartos das populações mais ao norte consumiram uma maior quantidade de menores itens (e.g., Isoptera) do que aqueles das populações mais ao sul. Nas populações mais ao sul, por outro lado, items maiores como Coleoptera, Lepdoptera, larvas e frutos foram mais frequentemente consumidos. É provável que a variação interpopulacional observada em alguns aspectos da ecologia alimentar de T. torquatus costeiros seja ocasionada principalmente pela disponibilidade de alimento. Palavras-chave: variação geográfica, ecologia alimentar, restinga, lagarto tropical, Tropiduridae.94 Siqueira, C.C. et al.

show abstract

“…Autoecological studies were also done on one of the commonest and widest-ranging species in the coastal sandy plains, the tropidurid Tropidurus torquatus, with studies addressing diet (Bergallo and Rocha, 1994;Fialho et al, 2000), thermal ecology and activity patterns (Bergallo and Rocha, 1993;Teixeira-Filho et al, 1996;Hatano et al, 2001), reproduction (Van Sluys et al, 2010), and parasitism by chigger mites (Cunha-Barros and Cunha-Barros et al, 2003) and by helminths (Ribas et al, 1998;Vrcibradic et al, 2000). We also studied the ecological aspects of that species in a geographical context assessing how their populations may vary along its distributional range in the different restinga habitats regarding diet composition and degree of plant consumption (Dutra et al, 2011;Siqueira et al, 2011Siqueira et al, , 2013, thermal ecology (Kiefer et al, 2005(Kiefer et al, , 2007, and reproductive traits (Kiefer et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A summary of reptile and anuran amphibian species from Brazilian sandy coastal plains: 31 years of sampling efforts of the “Laboratório de Ecologia de Vertebrados, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro”

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although currently there is already a set of studies regarding ecological aspects of some particular reptile and amphibian species living in Brazilian sandy coastal plains (including the so-called “restinga” and “campo nativo” habitats), there is comparatively few information on the species composition usually associated to these environments. During 31 years (1988-2019) of herpetological studies carried out in sandy coastal plains environments by our research team of the Laboratory of Vertebrate Ecology (Department of Ecology, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, in Rio de Janeiro Brazil) we have surveyed reptile and amphibian communities and performed different studies with similar methods in 70 sites from 10 different states along the Brazilian coast. Our surveys resulted in records of 87 species of reptile (five turtles, two crocodylians, six amphisbaenians, 36 lizards and 39 snakes) from 24 families, and 77 species of anuran amphibians from nine families. We have studied multiple natural history topics for anurans and reptiles which resulted in the publication of some specific ecological studies, especially regarding some species, encompassing population and community ecology, foraging and feeding habits, species activity, thermoregulation, reproduction, use of microhabitats, and parasitism by ecto and endoparasites. Our results along these three decades have also contributed for the description of four new lizard species (Ameivula nativo, Glaucomastix littoralis, G. abaetensis and G. itabaianensis). Our studies constitute an important contribution to the knowledge of the ecology of anuran amphibians and reptiles in these ecosystems, as well as to the conservation of sandy coastal plains environment. The checklist presented in this study, based on our records of sandy coastal plains herpetofauna, provides for many localities along the Brazilian coast, the needed knowledge on species occurrence, including the presence of endemic and/or endangered species, which can be of value for many conservation actions.

show abstract

Plant consumption in coastal populations of the lizardTropidurus torquatus(Reptilia: Squamata: Tropiduridae): how do herbivory rates vary along their geographic range?

Abstract: 2010): Plant consumption in coastal populations of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus (Reptilia: Squamata: Tropiduridae): how do herbivory rates vary along their geographic range?, Journal of Natural History, 45:3-4, 171-182 To link to this article: http://dx.

Cited by 12 publications

References 54 publications

High prevalence and intensity of infestation of Eutrombicula alfreddugesi (Acarina: Trombiculidae) on Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae): effects of body size and on body condition across ten populations along the Brazilian coast

High prevalence and intensity of infestation of Eutrombicula alfreddugesi (Acarina: Trombiculidae) on Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae): effects of body size and on body condition across ten populations along the Brazilian coast

Variation in the diet of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus along its coastal range in Brazil

A summary of reptile and anuran amphibian species from Brazilian sandy coastal plains: 31 years of sampling efforts of the “Laboratório de Ecologia de Vertebrados, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro”

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About