Carmona-González Rafael, Carro Francisco, González de la Vega Juan Pablo, Martínez-Freiría Fernando
Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio, 45, 41092 Seville, Spain.
Atlas Herpetológico de Andalucía, Avda. Andalucía, 70. 4°D, 21007 Huelva, Spain.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Oct 19;14(20):3025. doi: 10.3390/ani14203025.
Doñana (southern Spain), a region of notable biodiversity richness, is highly threatened by ongoing landscape transformation and climate change. We investigated the local effect of these anthropogenic factors on the temporal range dynamics of Lataste's viper (), an Iberian endemic Mediterranean reptile that has apparently become rare over the years in Doñana. Using ecological niche-based models, based on climatic and remote sensing variables, we analyzed historical (1959-1999) and contemporary (2000-2022) records of the species to assess range shifts and identify environmental factors that may influence them. Our results show that is mostly restricted to the coastal region of Doñana and that one temperature variable is the most important factor explaining this distribution pattern in both periods. Additional climatic and vegetation variables play a role in its historical distribution, but they become less important in contemporary times, suggesting a niche simplification over time. We found 30.5% of reduction in the species suitable area from historical to contemporary conditions, a reduction that would be even greater (83.37%) in the absence of niche shift. These findings underscore the species' heightened vulnerability to ongoing environmental changes and highlight the urgent need for targeted conservation strategies.
多尼亚纳（西班牙南部）是一个生物多样性显著丰富的地区，正受到持续的景观转变和气候变化的严重威胁。我们研究了这些人为因素对拉塔斯特蝰蛇（）时间范围动态的局部影响，拉塔斯特蝰蛇是一种伊比利亚特有的地中海爬行动物，这些年来在多尼亚纳显然变得稀少。利用基于气候和遥感变量的生态位模型，我们分析了该物种的历史记录（1959 - 1999年）和当代记录（2000 - 2022年），以评估分布范围的变化并确定可能影响其分布的环境因素。我们的结果表明，拉塔斯特蝰蛇主要局限于多尼亚纳的沿海地区，并且一个温度变量是解释这两个时期分布模式的最重要因素。其他气候和植被变量在其历史分布中起作用，但在当代变得不那么重要，这表明随着时间的推移生态位简化。我们发现，从历史时期到当代，该物种适宜面积减少了30.5%，如果没有生态位转移，这种减少幅度会更大（83.37%）。这些发现强调了该物种对当前环境变化的高度脆弱性，并突出了制定有针对性的保护策略的迫切需求。
