干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Assessment of reptile response to habitat degradation in arid and semi-arid regions

Arid

DOI	10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02536
	Assessment of reptile response to habitat degradation in arid and semi-arid regions
	Elbahi, Abderrafea; Lawton, Colin; Oubrou, Widade; El Bekkay, Mohammed; Hermas, Jamila; Dugon, Michel
通讯作者	Elbahi, A
来源期刊	GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
EISSN	2351-9894
出版年	2023
卷号	45
英文摘要	Reptiles are essential components of global biodiversity and dynamic ecosystems due to their ecological roles and functions. However, they face significant vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbances and habitat degradation, resulting in their classification as the third most threatened vertebrate group globally. The current study examines reptile response to anthropogenic habitat degradation in the highly biodiverse Souss-Massa National Park (SMNP), located on the North African Atlantic coast. During 2021 and 2022, linear transects were established within four habitat categories experiencing varying degrees of vegetation cover degradation (undegraded, slightly degraded, moderately degraded, and highly degraded), caused by livestock overgrazing and vegetation clearance. Based on the comparisons of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index means, the vegetation cover differed significantly among the selected habitat categories, with a noticeable reduction in the natural vegetation cover as the level of habitat degradation increased. The visual encounter survey technique was used to search a total of 96 transects, with each of the studied habitat categories being represented by 24 transects. Species richness, diversity, abundance, composition and similarities of reptile communities were determined and compared between habitat categories. During the study period, 11 species (438 individuals) were encountered, accounting for 48 % of SMNP reptile fauna. Species richness, diversity and abundance differed significantly among habitat categories, with the lowest means recorded in the highly degraded areas. Reptiles responded differently to habitat degradation based on their taxonomic levels, thus indicating a species-specific impact of degradation. Species composition varied considerably among habitat categories, with highly degraded areas displaying significant differences and the lowest degree of similarity when compared to all other categories (p = 0.0006). Anthropogenic alterations in reptile abundance distribution and species occurrence likely account for the observed differences in species composition within the different habitat categories. The reported reptile responses to habitat degradation might be attributed to factors associated with natural vegetation, such as food availability, microhabitat preferences, or interactions with other species. Exploring these factors in future research could provide further insights into the mechanisms driving reptile community responses to habitat degradation. Such
英文关键词	Reptiles Biodiversity Conservation Anthropogenic habitat degradation Vegetation loss
类型	Article
语种	英语
开放获取类型	gold
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:001054473300001
WOS关键词	LAND-USE-CHANGE ; SPECIES RICHNESS ; TROPICAL FOREST ; SMALL MAMMALS ; AMPHIBIANS ; BIODIVERSITY ; VEGETATION ; LANDSCAPE ; COMMUNITY ; PATTERNS
WOS类目	Biodiversity Conservation ; Ecology
WOS研究方向	Biodiversity & Conservation ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/396785
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Elbahi, Abderrafea,Lawton, Colin,Oubrou, Widade,et al. Assessment of reptile response to habitat degradation in arid and semi-arid regions[J],2023,45.
APA	Elbahi, Abderrafea,Lawton, Colin,Oubrou, Widade,El Bekkay, Mohammed,Hermas, Jamila,&Dugon, Michel.(2023).Assessment of reptile response to habitat degradation in arid and semi-arid regions.GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION,45.
MLA	Elbahi, Abderrafea,et al."Assessment of reptile response to habitat degradation in arid and semi-arid regions".GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION 45(2023).