Effects of anthropogenic land-use on scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) in Neotropical forests

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

“…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.…”

“…roads and farming). Moreover, human-related land use modifies species composition and promotes reductions in abundance and species diversity in scorpion assemblages of Caatinga and Atlantic Rainforest environments, as already reported by previous studies (Lira et al 2016(Lira et al , 2019bDionisio-da-Silva et al 2018). In this sense, the combination of high rates of unsustainable exploration for natural resources in Caatinga (Santos et al 2014;Silva et al 2018), the poor knowledge of its fauna, particularly for scorpions (Porto et al 2014) and other arthropods (Bravo and Calor 2014) and negligence imposed by the political authorities of Brazil represent a threat to Brazilian biodiversity.…”

“…Vegetation structure may also be involved in the maintenance of arthropod assemblages, not only by its direct and additive effects upon the availability of physical microhabitats, but also by establishing a microclimate favourable to the occurrence of a plethora of species (Leal et al 2016;Mata et al 2017). In the case of scorpions, previous studies have demonstrated that the variation in species richness and composition may follow climatic clines (Lira et al 2019b), even at small spatial scales (Foord et al 2015). Accordingly, our results indicated that scorpion assemblages are responsive to temperature variations in terms of species replacement.…”

“…Consequently, these findings have important implications for the development of conservation strategies. Current trends in anthropogenic land use will both reduce habitat complexity, leading to a potential reduction in levels of α and β diversities in arthropod assemblages, as demonstrated here and in previous studies (Ribeiro et al 2015;Ribeiro-Neto et al 2016;Lira et al 2019b). This is especially important in Caatinga environments because the exploitation of woody vegetation is a common subsistence activity practised by local people in Brazilian semi-arid regions (Silva et al 2018).…”

“…In addition, variation in assemblage composition can also be related to the ecological plasticity of their species, wherein dispersion over disturbed environments and habitat requirements may play a key role in the spatial distribution of the species (Cavender- Bares and Wilczek 2003;Fischer and Lindenmayer 2007). Thus, species with low-dispersal ability, such as scorpions, are suitable for using as a model to infer the effects of environmental constraints of variation in species assemblages (Polis 1993;Husemann et al 2012;Nime et al 2014;Lira et al 2019b), even at small spatial scales (Nime et al 2013;Foord et al 2015;Dionisio-da-Silva et al 2018). Nevertheless, the knowledge regarding scorpion ecology in South America is scarce, especially those from open vegetation formations, such as the Chaco (Nime et al 2014) and the Caatinga (Porto et al 2014).…”