Macroecological approach for scorpions (Arachnida, Scorpiones): β-diversity in Brazilian montane forests

Abstract

The montane forests of northeastern Brazil are patches of rainforests, surrounded by xeric vegetation, that originated during the expansion of rainforests in the Pleistocene epoch. Their historical processes make these areas ideal for biogeographical investigations of organisms, particularly in groups with low dispersion and habitat specificity, such as scorpions. We perform a macroecological investigation of the community assembly process of scorpions, disentangling the pattern of β-diversity to test the hypothesis that the similarity in the composition of scorpion fauna in areas of montane forests and coastal rainforests is greater when these localities are geographically close. We also investigated if larger patches of montane forests exhibit a positive species–area relationship. Our results state that species replacement accounts for 71% of the total scorpion β-diversity in montane forest remnants. Additionally, scorpion assemblages were influenced by the spatial arrangement, with a higher similarity between the fauna of montane forests and coastal forests when these areas were geographically close. We did not find a species–area relationship in montane forest patches. The expressive contribution of species replacement to the overall β-diversity may reflect both the high environmental heterogeneity and the historical and independent colonization events that took place in these areas.

Disentangling diversity patterns in Cuban scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones)

“…For example, Lira et al (2019a) found that 36 % of scorpion species composition along a 712 km dry-wet bioclimatic gradient was explained by spatial predictors. In scorpion species of a Brazilian montane forest fragments, 51 % of composition variability was influenced by spatial predictors (Foerster et al, 2019). Therefore, the scorpion bionomical properties could be a potential source of variation on the size and composition of scorpion assemblages along the Cuban archipelago.…”

“…Scorpions belong to an arthropod predator group with low dispersion capacity and their ecological requirements are likely to have a prominent role in the spatial arrangement of their assemblages (Dionisio-da-Silva et al, 2018;Foerster et al, 2019;Lira et al, 2021). For example, Lira et al (2019a) found that 36 % of scorpion species composition along a 712 km dry-wet bioclimatic gradient was explained by spatial predictors.…”

“…Animals with low vagility, long life cycles, and microhabitat specialization, such as scorpions, offer a good model for studying the patterns and processes of biological diversity (e,g., Foord et al, 2015;Esposito & Prendini, 2019;Foerster et al, 2019;Lira et al, 2019a). These arachnids possess high environmental requirements that are not distributed randomly throughout the landscape (Polis, 1990).…”

Living in a desert: examining scorpion beta diversity in Egyptian drylands from a macroecological perspective

“…Understanding drivers of biological diversity across spatial scales has been a hot topic evaluated by ecologists (e.g. Shi et al 2015; Hölting et al 2016; Barros et al 2018; Lira et al 2019; Foerster et al 2019; Zorger et al 2019). Three components often describe biological diversity: alpha diversity (dα), representing the number of species in a given habitat; beta diversity (dβ), representing species variation between habitats; and gamma diversity (dγ), which constitutes the total number of species observed in all habitats (Whittaker 1960; Magurran 2004).…”

“…Their life history and ecological traits, including low dispersal, long lifespan, and microhabitat specialisation, make scorpions a suitable model for studies addressing the processes related to the generation or maintenance of the current patterns of biodiversity (e.g. Polis 1990; Foord et al 2015; Lira et al 2019; Esposito and Prendini 2019; Foerster et al 2019). As a result of species-specific niche requirements, scorpions' assemblages are influenced by the non-random spatial distribution of suitable microhabitats throughout the landscape (Polis 1990).…”