Regional Distribution of a Mediterranean Lizard: Influence of Habitat Cues and Prey Abundance

Dı́az, José A.; Carrascal, Luis M.

doi:10.2307/2845399

Cited by 89 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Therefore, it is certain that lizards attained higher densities at the montane site. The observed abundances were, in fact, very similar to those recorded in a previous survey of the same areas (Díaz & Carrascal 1991), thus confirming the temporal constancy of the between-sites difference in lizard population densities.…”

Section: Habitatssupporting

confidence: 87%

“…These populations inhabit areas separated by c. 700 m along an altitudinal gradient in central Spain. More specifically, the hypothesis is tested that the effects of habitat structure on the abundance of P. algirus (Díaz & Carrascal 1991) are mediated by the positive influence of low shrub cover on the thermal environment experienced by lizards. Dense vegetation cover near the ground produces a thermal mosaic (Strijbosch 1988;Díaz & Carrascal 1991) that minimizes the shuttling distance between sun and shade.…”

Section: Functionalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More specifically, the hypothesis is tested that the effects of habitat structure on the abundance of P. algirus (Díaz & Carrascal 1991) are mediated by the positive influence of low shrub cover on the thermal environment experienced by lizards. Dense vegetation cover near the ground produces a thermal mosaic (Strijbosch 1988;Díaz & Carrascal 1991) that minimizes the shuttling distance between sun and shade. The thermal mosaic thus reduces the costs of thermoregulation (Huey 1974;Huey & Slatkin 1976), allowing lizards to invest more time and energy in growth and reproduction.…”

Section: Functionalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Psammodromus algirus is a medium-sized lacertid lizard (adult snout-vent length 60-85 mm; mass 6-14 g) inhabiting shrub and woodland habitats of the Iberian peninsula, southeastern coastal region of France and northwest Africa (Arnold 1987;Díaz & Carrascal 1991). It is a ground-dwelling, shuttling heliotherm (Díaz 1991), whose microhabitat selection is strongly influenced by thermoregulatory constraints and, apparently, by the need to minimize predation risk (Díaz 1992).…”

Section: Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecological correlates of the thermal quality of an ectotherm’s habitat: a comparison between two temperate lizard populations

Dı́az¹

1997

Functional Ecology

116

102

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Summary 1.Although thermal factors are of paramount importance to the quality of the habitats occupied by small ectotherms (e.g. lizards), the hypothesis that the relative abundance of squamate populations is related to the thermal quality of their habitats remains untested. If differences in the availability of thermally suitable microhabitats was the primary determinant of the overall quality of a lizard's habitat, population density in a habitat should be proportional to its thermal quality. 2. The influence of the thermal quality of a habitat on thermoregulatory behaviour, body temperatures, expected physiological performance and relative abundance was compared in two populations of the temperate lizard Psammodromus algirus separated by 700 m altitude in central Spain. Habitat thermal quality was estimated with an index of how closely the available operative temperatures in a habitat match the range of body temperatures that lizards attempt to maintain in a laboratory thermogradient (Hertz, Huey & Stevenson 1993). 3. Operative temperatures, measured using copper models, were higher at the lowland site, where a large proportion of readings fell within or above the preferred range, especially in the early morning. Thermal habitat quality was also higher at the low altitude site, with smaller absolute deviations from the preferred range throughout most of the morning hours. Moreover, lizard body temperatures, the accuracy of thermoregulation and the predicted running performance of lizards were somewhat higher at the lowland site, although differences were smaller than expected on the basis of operative temperatures. A log-linear analysis showed that lizard selectivity for basking sites was more pronounced at the thermally inferior montane site. Thus, the observed differences in the thermal quality of habitats appeared to influence the behaviour of lizards. 4. Nevertheless, the relative abundance of lizards, as estimated by repeated transect counts, was higher at the montane site. This unexpected result suggests that thermal constraints may not be the most important factor determining lizard population densities on a regional scale. Alternatively, food availability and/or predation pressure might have a greater impact on the overall quality of a habitat for temperate lizards.

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Section: Habitatssupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Functionalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Functionalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Ecological correlates of the thermal quality of an ectotherm’s habitat: a comparison between two temperate lizard populations

Dı́az¹

1997

Functional Ecology

116

102

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…To study prey size selection, the relative abundance of lizards was calculated in "Malpaís de La Rasca", using line transects (100 m length) located inside those predatory bird territories studied; all lizards that appeared up to five meters on both sides of the observer were counted (Díaz & Carrascal 1990). Censuses were made between 12:00 and 14:00 hours (maximum activity period of lizards), on fair days and a total of 20 transects were performed in each season.…”

Section: Pellet Analysis and Prey Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

Prey Size Selection of Insular Lizards by Two Sympatric Predatory Bird Species

Padilla¹,

Nogales²,

Marrero³

2007

Acta Ornithologica

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Increased pollinator habitat enhances cacao fruit set and predator conservation

Forbes

Northfield

2017

Ecological Applications

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The unique benefits of wild pollinators to the productivity of agricultural crops have become increasingly recognized in recent decades. However, declines in populations of wild pollinator species, largely driven by the conversion of natural habitat to agricultural land and broad-spectrum pesticide use often lead reductions in the provision of pollination services and crop production. With growing evidence that targeted pollinator conservation improves crop yield and/or quality, particularly for pollination specialist crops, efforts are increasing to substitute agriculturally intensive practices with those that alleviate some of the negative impacts of agriculture on pollinators and the pollination services they provide, in part through the provision of suitable pollinator habitat. Further, similarities between the responses of some pollinators and predators to habitat management suggest that efforts to conserve pollinators may also encourage predator densities. We evaluated the effects of one habitat management practice, the addition of cacao fruit husks to a monoculture cacao farm, on the provision of pollination services and the densities of two groups of entomophagous predators. We also evaluated the impacts of cacao fruit husk addition on pollen limitation, by crossing this habitat manipulation with pollen supplementation treatments. The addition of cacao fruit husks increased the number of fruits per tree and along with hand pollination treatments, increased final yields indicating a promotion of the pollination ecosystem service provided by the specialist pollinators, midges. We also found that cacao fruit husk addition increased the densities of two predator groups, spiders and skinks. Further, the conservation of these predators did not inhibit pollination through pollinator capture or deterrence. The findings show that, with moderate habitat management, both pollinator and predator conservation can be compatible goals within a highly specialized plant-pollinator system. The effectiveness of this habitat manipulation may be attributable to the increased availability of alternative habitat and food resources for both pollinators and predators. The results exemplify a win-win relationship between agricultural production and biological conservation, whereby agricultural practices to support vital pollinators and pollination services can increase production as well as support species conservation.

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Regional Distribution of a Mediterranean Lizard: Influence of Habitat Cues and Prey Abundance

Cited by 89 publications

References 31 publications

Ecological correlates of the thermal quality of an ectotherm’s habitat: a comparison between two temperate lizard populations

Ecological correlates of the thermal quality of an ectotherm’s habitat: a comparison between two temperate lizard populations

Prey Size Selection of Insular Lizards by Two Sympatric Predatory Bird Species

Increased pollinator habitat enhances cacao fruit set and predator conservation

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