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Persistence of Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma spp.) in urban preserves of Central Arizona

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Abstract

Urbanization is rapidly enveloping isolated remnants of Sonoran Desert habitat in southern Arizona. Understanding the means by which herpetofauna can persist in these habitats in the face of multiple impacts is vital to conservation efforts to retain intact biotic communities, especially those with a high diversity of reptile species. We surveyed ten preserves in the Phoenix Metropolitan region for Desert (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) and Regal (Phrynosoma solare) horned lizards, members of an iconic group of lizards of the Southwest. At least one horned lizard species is found in preserves across the range in size, age and habitat axes we assessed, provided that their primary prey, seed-harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex rugosus) are present. Horned lizards are apparently absent from one large preserve where they were once present, perhaps as a result of a decline in seed-harvester ants, but they may have been absent from other preserves due to the lack of appropriate habitat for their prey rather than due to direct anthropogenic impacts.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by Heritage Fund Grants from the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Erik Gergus, Paul Hamiltion, Matthew Kwiatkowski, and Elizabeth and Justin Sullivan assisted with some field observations. We thank M. Kwiatkowski for comments on a previous draft of the manuscript. Mike Sredl, Oliver Hyman, and especially Benedikt Schmidt provided considerable assistance with Presence. Bob Johnson was exceptionally helpful with identification and natural history information on seed harvester ants. All research was permitted under Arizona Game and Fish Department Scientific Collecting Permits (1995–2012) and ASU IACUC approval.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (2352), Arizona State University, PO Box 37100, Tempe, AZ, 85069-7100, USA

    Brian K. Sullivan, Keith O. Sullivan & Toni Suminski

  2. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA

    David Vardukyan

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  1. Brian K. Sullivan
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  2. Keith O. Sullivan
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  3. David Vardukyan
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Correspondence to Brian K. Sullivan.

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Sullivan, B.K., Sullivan, K.O., Vardukyan, D. et al. Persistence of Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma spp.) in urban preserves of Central Arizona. Urban Ecosyst 17, 707–717 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-014-0353-4

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