Brizio María Victoria, Cabezas-Cartes Facundo, Avila Luciano Javier, Boretto Jorgelina Mariela
Grupo de Herpetología Patagónica, Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de Ecosistemas Continentales (IPEEC-CONICET), Boulevard Almirante G. Brown 2915, 9120, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina.
Laboratorio de Ecofisiología e Historia de vida de Reptiles, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente (INIBIOMA-CONICET), Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, San Carlos de Bariloche, 8400, Río Negro, Argentina.
Sci Rep. 2025 Feb 1;15(1):3992. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-83845-y.
Habitat degradation from human activities affects essential microhabitats, threatening ecological processes like foraging, mating, locomotion, predator evasion, and competition among reptiles. We assessed how microhabitat selection and body temperature of the endangered lizard Liolaemus cuyumhue respond to differences in vegetation composition and thermal conditions between a disturbed site and an undisturbed site impacted by oil and gas activities in Argentina. During five expeditions between September 2022 and March 2023, we searched for L. cuyumhue and collected data on body temperature, substrate and air temperatures, body mass, snout-vent length, sex, and habitat characteristics. We also measured operative temperatures and assessed vegetation cover and microhabitat availability at each site. Our results showed significant differences in microhabitat characteristics and selection between sites. The undisturbed site had higher vegetation and lower operative temperatures, while the disturbed site had higher temperatures and lower vegetation, especially in summer. Lizards at the disturbed site showed higher body temperatures, suggesting stressful thermal conditions, and preferred microhabitats with lower bare ground cover. Capturing lizards in the disturbed site required more effort than in the undisturbed site. This study emphasizes the impact of habitat disturbance on the thermal environment and behavior of L. cuyumhue. Conservation efforts should prioritize maintaining and restoring vegetation to support the species' thermoregulation needs, especially under global warming.
人类活动导致的栖息地退化影响了关键的微生境，威胁到诸如觅食、交配、移动、躲避捕食者以及爬行动物之间的竞争等生态过程。我们评估了濒危蜥蜴库约姆韦鬃狮蜥（Liolaemus cuyumhue）的微生境选择和体温如何应对阿根廷一个受干扰地点和一个受石油和天然气活动影响的未受干扰地点之间植被组成和热条件的差异。在2022年9月至2023年3月的五次考察中，我们寻找库约姆韦鬃狮蜥，并收集了有关体温、基质和空气温度、体重、吻肛长度、性别以及栖息地特征的数据。我们还测量了有效温度，并评估了每个地点的植被覆盖和微生境可用性。我们的结果显示，不同地点之间的微生境特征和选择存在显著差异。未受干扰的地点植被较多，有效温度较低，而受干扰的地点温度较高，植被较少，尤其是在夏季。受干扰地点的蜥蜴体温较高，表明热条件具有压力，并且更喜欢裸地覆盖率较低的微生境。在受干扰地点捕获蜥蜴比在未受干扰地点需要更多的努力。这项研究强调了栖息地干扰对库约姆韦鬃狮蜥热环境和行为的影响。保护工作应优先维护和恢复植被，以满足该物种的体温调节需求，尤其是在全球变暖的情况下。
