The effect of habitat fragmentation on the scorpion assemblage of a Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Lira, André Felipe de Araújo; Araújo, Victor Luiz Nascimento de; DeSouza, Adriano Medeiros; Rego, Felipe N. A. A.; Albuquerque, Cleide Maria Ribeiro de

doi:10.1007/s10841-016-9878-6

Cited by 20 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…These results corroborate previous assumptions that scorpion assemblages are sensitive to habitat structure, with complex habitats containing a greater number of species than monotonous landscapes (e.g. Smith 1995;Druce et al 2007;Foord et al 2015;Lira et al 2016). Moreover, we disentangled the effects of habitat complexity and revealed that, amongst the environmental variables considered in this study, vegetation structure was deterministic for the modulation of scorpion assemblages in terms of both α-diversity (species richness and abundance) and β-diversity (species composition and richness difference).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…These assumptions could explain the negative relationship between species richness and LCBD observed here (Fig. 3F), corroborating the idea that changes in species composition amongst scorpion assemblages may be linked to the environmental degradation mediated by human activities related to land use (Lira et al 2016(Lira et al , 2019b. Interestingly, the high contribution of the richness difference component (80%) to overall β-diversity, reported in our study, is an indicator that dispersal limitation may not be an important source of species variation amongst scorpion assemblages at small spatial scales.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

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Vegetation structure as the main source of variability in scorpion assemblages at small spatial scales and further considerations for the conservation of Caatinga landscapes

Foerster¹,

Lira²,

Almeida³

2020

NBC

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Even at the local scale, environmental changes due of anthropogenic actions represent a source of disturbance in terrestrial ecosystems, forcing species to respond according to their ecological plasticity. Thus, stenotopic species and those with low-dispersal ability will likely be negatively affected by landscape modifications that reduce environmental complexity. In this study, we identify and quantify the effects of biotic and abiotic factors related to habitat complexity on the variation in scorpion assemblages in terms of both species’ richness, abundance and composition across 18 transects covering Caatinga landscapes with different levels of degradation. Using ultraviolet flashlights, we sampled 269 scorpions, belonging to six species and two families. The results showed contrasting patterns of species richness and abundance that depend on the level of habitat complexity. More specifically, we reported that scorpion species richness could be predicted by the number of trees, while the coefficient of variation of the diameter at breast height of trees (cvDBH) is a predictor of scorpion abundance. These findings suggest that vegetation structure is deterministic for the maintenance of scorpion assemblages in Caatinga landscapes. In addition, the cvDBH and tree number may explain 39% and 40% of the variability observed amongst scorpion assemblages in terms of richness difference and species composition, respectively. This study provides insights concerning the development of conservation strategies, clarifying the role of habitat complexity for the preservation of low-dispersal animals in neglected environments, such as those within the Caatinga domain.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Vegetation structure as the main source of variability in scorpion assemblages at small spatial scales and further considerations for the conservation of Caatinga landscapes

Foerster¹,

Lira²,

Almeida³

2020

NBC

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“…The shorter embryonic and post‐birth development associated with the capacity to produce multiple litters with a single insemination (Albuquerque & Lira ) was indicative of a high reproductive capacity and may have contributed to the numerical dominance of this species in the remnants of the Brazilian Atlantic forest (Lira et al. , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we investigated SD and mating behaviors of Tityus pusillus Pocock 1893, the most abundant scorpion species in the northeast Atlantic Forest in Brazil (Lira & Albuquerque ; Lira et al. , ). More specifically, we investigated: (1) sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in overall body size and SD in specific body components (SBCD); (2) mating behavior; (3) aspects of reproductive success, such as multiple matings and the duration of spermatophore production; and (4) the duration of the gestational period.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual dimorphism and reproductive behavior in the Brazilian scorpion Tityus pusillus (Scorpiones, Buthidae)

Lira

Pordeus

Rego

et al. 2018

Invertebrate Biology

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We studied sexual dimorphism (SD) and reproductive behavior in the litter‐dwelling scorpion, Tityus pusillus. SD was determined by measuring seven body structure attributes (prosoma, mesosoma, and metasoma lengths, and pedipalp chelae and metasomal segment V lengths and widths) in 634 individuals (211 males and 423 females) from the Arachnological Collection of the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Reproductive behavior was observed in 55 couples during nocturnal activity observations conducted in the laboratory. In addition, we evaluated gestation time, hemispermatophore replacement, and sequential courtship. Individuals of T. pusillus exhibited typical reproductive behavior, with a short courtship time (averaging 10±5 min). Males only accepted new partners at least 48 h after first mating, suggesting that this period may be necessary for hemispermatophore production. Females did not accept new partners for 24–48 h after their first mating. The average gestation period was 85±12 d, ranging 60–100 d. Our results showed a more complex picture of SD than previously described for this species, including features characteristic of both sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and sexual body component dimorphism in scorpions. In general, considering the relatively large size of the prosoma and mesosoma in T. pusillus, it seems reasonable to conclude that female‐biased SSD exists in the species, and that male‐biased sexual body component dimorphism is evident in the metasoma and chelae.

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“…Scorpions show associations with many physical (precipitation, soil type, temperature, light levels and microhabitat availability) and biological (vegetation type and distribution) factors (e.g. Prendini 2001;Druce et al 2007;Nime et al 2014;Foord et al 2015;Lira et al 2016Dionisio-da-Silva et al 2018). For example, Lira et al (2019) investigated the patterns of scorpion diversity across a bioclimatic gradient along 712 km of wet-dry forests in Brazil.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential distribution patterns of scorpions in north‐eastern Brazil under scenarios of future climate change

et al. 2019

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Current predictions about the responses of species to climate change strongly rely on projecting altered environmental conditions on their distributions. In this study, we investigated the effects of future climate change scenarios on the potential distribution of 10 species of scorpions in north‐eastern Brazil in the context of their degree of specialisation to closed (Atlantic and Amazon Forests) and open (Caatinga and Cerrado) habitats. Scorpion species were classified as habitat specialists or generalists according to the IndVal index, and present and future species distribution models were prepared using minimum volume ellipsoids. According to IndVal, four species were classified as closed‐forest specialists (Ananteris mauryi, Tityus brazilae, Tityus pusillus and Tityus neglectus), four as open‐forest specialists (Jaguajir agamemnon, Jaguajir rochae, Physoctonus debilis and Bothriurus rochai), and two as generalists (Tityus stigmurus and Bothriurus asper). All species presented a drastic reduction in potential distribution, ranging from 44% to 72%, when compared with their current distribution. In addition, we found a reduction in scorpion species richness under future climate change scenarios. This finding has implications for scorpion conservation. Further, the results show that climate change may impact the composition of scorpion assemblages in north‐eastern Brazil, revealing important implications for human–scorpion interactions.

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The effect of habitat fragmentation on the scorpion assemblage of a Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Cited by 20 publications

References 44 publications

Vegetation structure as the main source of variability in scorpion assemblages at small spatial scales and further considerations for the conservation of Caatinga landscapes

Vegetation structure as the main source of variability in scorpion assemblages at small spatial scales and further considerations for the conservation of Caatinga landscapes

Sexual dimorphism and reproductive behavior in the Brazilian scorpion Tityus pusillus (Scorpiones, Buthidae)

Potential distribution patterns of scorpions in north‐eastern Brazil under scenarios of future climate change

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