Responses of reptiles to fire in transition zones are mediated by bioregion affinity of species

Ferreira, Diana; Mateus, Cláudia; Santos, Xavier

doi:10.1007/s10531-016-1137-3

Cited by 21 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 67 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, our study area is the northernmost limit of P. algirus distribution (Sillero et al, 2014), so it probably promotes a strong selection for the most opened and hotter microhabitats available. This result is in agreement with other works describing the colonization abilities of burnt sites by this lizard (Santos Poquet, 2010), including the PGNP (Ferreira et al, 2016a).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Despite the logistic limitations of this study, we are confident that our results showed changes in the reptile community that are congruent in some way with: 1) the modelling predictions for some reptile species found in the study area (e.g. Carvalho et al, 2010); 2) the species-specific microhabitat thermal preferences of reptile species (Ferreira et al, 2017); and 3) the biogeographic hypothesis that states the direction of change for some species according to their biogeographic affinity linked to fire disturbance (Ferreira et al, 2016a). In our study, changes in the reptile community were limited to the decline of an Atlantic lizard (L. schreiberi), and the increase of wall lizards of the genus Pod arcis, while a Mediterranean lizard occurred for the first time in 2012 (P. algirus).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…We identified that responses of some species likely to the habitat shifts (Ferreira et al, 2017) produced by the fires were also driven by their biogeographic affinities (Ferreira et al, 2016a); an Atlantic lizard declined (Lacerta schreiberi), while a Mediterranean lizard occurred for the first time in 2012 (Psammod romus algirus). Our results suggest that P. algirus has benefited from the increased availability of open areas with amplified solar radiation and dryness (Soares et al, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main goal of this study was to examine the existence of a link between reptile abundance changes in this long-interval monitoring and shifts in habitat structure mainly imposed by the wildfires. We hypothesize that reptiles will respond to habitat alterations produced by the fires in opposing ways according to their biogeographic affinity (Ferreira et al, 2016a). In this biogeographic crossroad, we expect that Mediterranean species may be favoured by the wider availability of hotter and drier areas, while Atlantic species may experience reductions resulting for decreased availability of covered and humid sites, as it has been reported in other sites within the Mediterranean basin (Santos Cheylan, 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Biogeographic crossroads are areas that accumulate exceptional species and habitat diversity across many taxonomic groups (Spector, 2002). These areas offer the opportunity to monitor species and habitats of different biogeographical origins, and to track their responses to fire (Ferreira et al, 2016a). Reptiles constitute a good candidate taxon to describe changes in species composition and abundance in long-interval field monitoring.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Long-interval monitoring reveals changes in the structure of a reptile community in a biogeographic transition zone

Ferreira¹,

Brito²,

Santos³

2018

bah

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Transition zones between biogeographical regions are natural scenarios to examine responses to local disturbances between species with contrasting biogeographic affinities. We compared absolute abundances of reptile species between fieldwork surveys carried out in 1999-2001 and 2012-2014 along a 1.5 km linear transect at the Peneda-Gerês National Park (NW Portugal), an area located in the transition zone between Mediterranean and Atlantic biogeographical regions. During the 13-year period, wildfires in 2007 and 2009 burnt two adjacent areas located on the southern part of the study area. Based on Landsat imagery, land cover analysis demonstrated significant differences between both periods, with an increase of open areas caused by the wildfires. We performed 99 surveys and detected 1774 reptiles belonging to five lizard and six snake species. There were changes in the reptile assemblage: Lacerta schreiberi (Atlantic lizard) showed a decrease in relative abundance from the first period, Pod arcis sp (wall lizards) showed an increase, and Psammodromus algirus (Mediterranean lizard) colonized the study site in the second period. This field-based monitoring study confirms niche modelling predictions that forecasted range contraction for some Atlantic reptiles and expansion for some Mediterranean reptiles. Our results emphasize the importance of long-term monitoring to understand the magnitude of disturbance impacts on (reptile) communities.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 82%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Long-interval monitoring reveals changes in the structure of a reptile community in a biogeographic transition zone

Ferreira¹,

Brito²,

Santos³

2018

bah

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Resilience of reptiles to megafires

Santos

Belliure

Gonçalves

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Extreme climate events, together with anthropogenic land‐use changes, have led to the rise of megafires (i.e., fires at the top of the frequency size distribution) in many world regions. Megafires imply that the center of the burnt area is far from the unburnt; therefore, recolonization may be critical for species with low dispersal abilities such as reptiles. We aimed to evaluate the effect of megafires on a reptile community, exploring to what extent reptile responses are spatially shaped by the distance to the unburnt area. We examined the short‐term spatiotemporal response of a Mediterranean reptile community after two megafires (>20,000 ha) that occurred in summer 2012 in eastern Spain. Reptiles were sampled over 4 years after the fire in burnt plots located at different distances from the fire perimeter (edge, middle, and center), and in adjacent unburnt plots. Reptile responses were modeled with fire history, as well as climate and remotely sensed environmental variables. In total, we recorded 522 reptiles from 12 species (11 species in the burnt plots and nine in the unburnt plots). Reptile abundance decreased in burnt compared with unburnt plots. The community composition and species richness did not vary either spatially (unburnt and burnt plots) or temporally (during the 4 years). The persistence of reptiles in the burnt area supported their resilience to megafires. The most common lizard species was Psammodromus algirus; both adults and juveniles were found in all unburnt and burnt plots. This species showed lower abundances in burnt areas compared with the unburnt and a slow short‐term abundance recovery. The lizard Psammodromus edwarsianus was much less abundant and showed a tendency to increase its abundance in burnt plots compared with unburnt plots. Within the megafire area, P. algirus and P. edwarsianus abundances correlated with the thermal–moisture environment and vegetation recovery regardless of the distance from the fire edge. These results indicated the absence of a short‐term reptile recolonization from the unburnt zone, demonstrating that reptiles are resilient (in situ persistence) to megafires when environmental conditions are favorable.

show abstract