SPATIAL DYNAMICS OF REPTILES IN FOUR VEGETATION COVERS OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF SANTIAGO NONUALCO, LA PAZ, EL SALVADOR

Abstract

Reptiles are an important part of biodiversity, but their populations have been affected by climate change, invasive species and mainly by the loss and fragmentation of forests. The study of these species in different habitats allows to broaden the knowledge of their conservation state, the threats responses and the communities spatial dynamics. The objective of this study was to estimate the richness, abundance, composition, and turnover of reptiles in four contrasting habitats: deciduous forest, semi-deciduous forest, riparian forest, and live fences in the municipality of Santiago Nonualco, El Salvador, and to estimate the effect of some environmental variables. Between March and August 2021, two visits were made per month, with a total sampling effort of 768 hours/man. In each habitat eight sampling points were established and in each one, a permanent transect of 100x4 m, and Visual Encounter Inspection technique was applied to each transect. 747 individuals belonging to 28 species were recorded. The best represented and most abundant group was lizards, while several snakes and turtles only registered one individual. The habitat with the highest richness and abundance of species was the riparian forest, on the contrary, live fences presented the lowest values of abundance and richness. This last habitat was also the one that contributed more to a greater difference or turnover of species. Relative humidity and litter depth were the variables that contributed the greatest variation to the reptile community. The composition, richness and abundance of reptiles change between different habitats, with a slight tendency for these reptiles to prefer ecosystems with a more complex vegetation cover and less anthropogenic intervention.