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

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Abstract

Habitat fragmentation is a topic widely studied in ecology; however, its effects on the assemblage of the order Scorpiones is less well understood. Aiming to fill this gap, this study assessed the effect of fragmentation on the assemblage of these arachnids in 12 Brazilian Atlantic forest fragments. Five environmental variables were measured (depth and dry mass of litter, understory density, canopy openness, and diameter at breast height of the trees), and the fragment area, vegetation cover, connectivity and elevation assessed. The animals were collected during the dry season and, identified at night with the use of ultraviolet light lamps. The analyzed scorpion assemblage in the landscape was characterized by the species Tityus pusillus, T. stigmurus, T. neglectus, T. brazilae, and Ananteris mauryi, with a maximum of three species co-occurring per fragment. Only the fragment size and the dry mass of litter showed a positive relationship with the composition of scorpions. These results suggest that the habitat of scorpions responds to environmental attributes and landscape metrics at both higher (fragment size) and lower (leaf litter) scales. Our study was able to expand our knowledge of how scorpions respond to habitat changes in the Atlantic Forest. We conclude that fragmentation and habitat quality are determining factors for the assemblage of these arachnids.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Mario Jorge for permission to use the areas for sampling. We are also grateful to Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for granting a PhD scholarship to A.F.A. Lira and A.M. DeSouza and to Renato Salomão, Laís Pordeus, and Evânia Freire, and to Lucas Cavalcanti for technical assistance during field work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco – UFPE, Rua Prof. Moraes Rego S/N, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP 50670-420, Brazil

    André F. A. Lira

  2. Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco – UFPE, Rua Prof. Moraes Rego S/N, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP 50670-420, Brazil

    Victor L. N. de Araújo & Cleide M. R. Albuquerque

  3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba – UFPB, Cidade Universitária, João Pessoa, Paraíba, CEP 58051-900, Brazil

    Adriano M. DeSouza

  4. Grupo de Pesquisa em Artrópodes de Importancia Médica e Agrícola, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco – UFPE, Rua Prof. Moraes Rego S/N, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP 50670-420, Brazil

    Felipe N. A. A. Rego

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  1. André F. A. Lira
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  2. Victor L. N. de Araújo
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Correspondence to André F. A. Lira.

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Lira, A.F.A., de Araújo, V.L.N., DeSouza, A.M. et al. The effect of habitat fragmentation on the scorpion assemblage of a Brazilian Atlantic Forest. J Insect Conserv 20, 457–466 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-016-9878-6

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