Abstract
The threatened lizard Cnemidophorus littoralis occurs in only four restinga habitats of Brazilian coast and its current conservation status is “endangered”. Due to its restricted distribution, the effects of habitat degradation are especially harmful to them. To prevent a local or even total extinction, we analyzed changes in population density and in amount of disturbances of three restinga areas during a seven-year gap. This study took place in three restingas of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil: Maricá, Jurubatiba and Grussaí. We compared C. littoralis current density with the one registered in 2005 by Menezes and Rocha (2013) with 2 ha transections in each restinga. We also made another group of transects to estimate population density along the entire extension of the restingas. Conservation index of each site was based on satellite images and field samplings. Data showed a decreasing trend of Cnemidophorus littoralis population density over the years. Grussaí had the lowest population density and the highest degradation index among the three sites, whereas Jurubatiba had the lowest degree of disturbance, the largest area and the highest lizard population density. Data showed an increase in the amount of disturbance in restingas over the years, which seemed to have a negative effect in C. littoralis population density. Improvement of surveillance and implementation of education programs in the protected areas and its surroundings, and periodic monitoring of C. littoralis populations to follow their density changes, are essential for the maintenance of the species.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Almeida-Santos P, Militão CM, Nogueira-Costa P, Menezes VA, Rocha CFD (2015) Thermal ecology of five remaining populations of an endangered lizard (liolaemus lutzae) in different restinga habitats in Brazil. J Coast Conserv 19:335–343. doi:10.1007/s11852-015-0395-7
Bennett AF, Gorman GC (1979) Population density and energetics of lizards on a tropical island. Oecologia 42:339–358. doi:10.1007/BF00346598
Buckland ST, Anderson DR, Burnham KP, Laake JL (1993) Distance sampling: estimating abundance of biological populations. Chapman & Hall, London
Cerqueira R, Brant A, Nascimento MT, Pardini R (2003) (2003) fragmentação: alguns conceitos. In: rambaldi, D.M.; Oliveira, D.A.S. Fragmentação de ecossistemas – causas, efeitos sobre a biodiversidade e recomendações de políticas públicas. Brasília, MMA/SBF
Cesário LF, Gaglianone MC (2008) Biologia floral e fenologia reprodutiva de Schinus terebinthifolius raddi (anacardiaceae) em restinga do Norte fluminense. Acta Bot Bras 22(3):828–833. doi:10.1590/S0102-33062008000300018
Fahrig L, Pedlar JH, Pope SE, Taylor PD, Wegner JF (1995) Effect of road traffic on amphibian density. Biol Conserv 73:177–182. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(94)00102-V
Franco, A.C.; Valerano, D.M.; Santos, F.M.; Hay, J.D.; Henriques, R.P.B.; Medeiros, R.A. (1984) Os microclimas das zonas de vegetação da Praia da Restinga de Barra de Maricá-RJ. In: Lacerda, L.D.; Araujo, D.S.D.; Cerqueira, R.; Turq, B. (orgs). Restingas: Origem, Estrutura, Processos. Niterói: CEUFF. p.413–425.
Galli A, Wackernagel M, Katsunori I, Lazarus E (2014) Ecological footprint: implications for biodiversity. Biol Conserv 173:121–132. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2013.10.019
Gibbons JW, Scott DE, Ryan TJ, Buhlmann KA, Tuberville TD, Metts BS, Greene JL, Mills T, Leiden Y, Poppy S, Winne CT (2000) The global decline of reptiles, déjà vu amphibians. Bioscience 50(8):653–666. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2000)050[0653:TGDORD]2.0.C.O;2
Hatano, F.H.; Vrcibradic, D.; Galdino, C.A.B; Cunha-Barros; M.; Rocha, C.F.D.; Van Sluys, M. (2001). Thermal ecology and activity patterns of the lizard community of the resting of jurubatiba, macaé, RJ. Rev Bras Biol 61(2): 287–294. doi:10.1590/S0034-71082001000200011
Hokit DG, Stith BM, Branch LC (1999) Effects of landscape structure in Florida scrub: a population perspective. Ecol Appl 9(1):124–134. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(1999)009[0124:EOLSIF]2.0.CO;2
Lettink M, Norbury G, Cree A, Seddon PJ, Duncan RP, Schwarz CJ (2010) Removal of introduced predators, but not artificial refuge supplementation, increases skink survival in coastal Duneland. Biol Cons 143:72–77. doi:10.1026/j.biocon.2009.09.004
McKinney ML (2002) Urbanization, biodiversity and conservation. Bioscience 52(10):883–890. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052[0883:UBAC]2.0.CO;2
Menezes VA, Rocha CFD (2011) Thermal ecology of five cnemidophorus species (squamata:teiidae) in east coast of Brazil. J Therm Biol 36:232–238. doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2011.03.004
Menezes VA, Rocha CFD (2013) Geographic distribution, population densities, and issues on conservation of whiptail lizards in restinga hábitats along the eastern coast of Brazil. North-Western J Zool 9(2):337–344
Menezes VA, Rocha CFD (2014) Clutch size in populations and species of cnemidophorines (squamata: teiidae) on the eastern coast of Brazil. An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc. Rio de Janeiro 86(2):707–722. doi:10.1590/0001-37652014112212
Menezes VA, Amaral VC, Sluys MV, Rocha CFD (2006) Diet and foraging of the endemic lizard cnemidophorus littoralis (squamata, teiidae) in the restinga de jurubatiba, macaé. RJ Braz J Biol 66(3):803–807. doi:10.1590/S1519-69842006000500005
Milstead WW (1965) Changes in competing populations of whiptail lizards (cnemidophorus) in southwester Texas. Am Midl Nat 73(1):75–80
Montezuma RCM, Araujo DSD (2007) Estrutura da vegetação de uma restinga arbustiva inundável no parque Nacional da restinga de jurubatiba. Pesquisas botânicas. São Leopoldo-RJ: Instituto Anchietano de Pesquisas 58:157–176
Nimer E (1972) Climatologia da região sudeste do brasil: introdução à climatologia dinâmica – subsídios à geografia regional do brasil. R. Bras. Geog. Rio de Janeiro 34(1):3–48
Oliveira JCF, Rocha CFD (2015) A review on the anurofauna of Brazil’s sandy coastal plains. How much do we know about it? J Coast Conserv 19:35–49. doi:10.1007/s11852-014-0354-8
Peloso, P.L.V.; Rocha, C.F.D.; Pavan, S.E.; Mendes, S.L. (2008) Activity and micro-hábitat use by the endemic whiptail lizard, Cnemidophorus nativo (Teiidae), in a restinga hábitat (Setiba) in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. South American Journal of Herpetology 3(2): 89–95. doi:1808–9798(2008)3[89:AAMUBT]2.0.CO;2
Pereira MCA, Araujo DSD, Pereira OJ (2001) Estrutura de uma comunidade arbustiva da restinga de Barra de maricá – RJ. Rev Bras Bot 24(3):273–228
Prado TR, Ferreira AA, Guimarães ZFS (2006) Efeito da implantação de rodovias no cerrado brasileiro sobre a fauna de vertebrados. Acta Sci Biol Sci 28(3):237–241. doi:10.4025/actascibiolsci.v28i3.215
Pyron RA, Burbrink FT, Wiens JJ (2013) A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes. BioMed Cent Evol Biol:13–93. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-13-93
Radder RS, Saidapur SK, Shanbhag A (2005) Population density, micro-hábitat use and activity patter of the Indian rock lizard, psammophilus dorsalis (agamidae). Curr Sci 89(3):560–566
Rocha CFD (1985) Liolaemus lutzae: um problema para manejo e conservação. Fundação Brasileira Para a Conservação da Natureza 20:106–108
Rocha CFD, Araujo AFB, Vrcibradic D, Costa EMM (2000) New cnemidophorus (squamata; teiidae) from coastal Rio de Janeiro state, southereastern Brazil. Copeia 2:501–509
Rocha CFD, Bergallo HG, Alves MAS, Van Sluys M (2003) A biodiversidade nos grandes remanescentes florestais do Estado do Rio de Janeiro e nas restingas da Mata atlântica. Editora Rima, São Carlos, São Paulo, 160 p
Rocha CFD, Van Sluys M, Bergallo HG, Alves MAS (2005) Endemic and threatened tetrapods in the restingas of the biodiversity corridors of Serra do Mar and the central da Mata atlântica in eastern Brazil. Braz J Biol 65(1):159–168. doi:10.1590/S1519-69842005000100019
Rocha CFD, Bergallo HG, Van Sluys M, Alves MAS, Jamel CE (2007) The remnants of restinga hábitats in the Brazilian Atlantic forest of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil: hábitat loss and risk of disappearance. Braz J Biol 67(2):263–273. doi:10.1590/S1519-69842007000200011
Rocha CFD, Hatano FH, Vrcibradic D, Van Sluys M (2008) Frog species richness, composition and β-diversity in coastal Brazilian restinga habitats. Braz J Biol 68(1):101–107. doi:10.1590/S1519-69842008000100014
Rocha CFD, Siqueira CC, Ariani CV (2009) The endemic and threatened lizard liolaemus lutzae (squamata: liolaemidae): current geographic distribution and areas of occurrence with estimated population densities. Zool 26:454–460. doi:10.1590/S1984-46702009000300009
Silva JG, Somner GV (1984) A vegetação de restinga na Barra de maricá. In: Lacerda LD, Araujo DSD, Cerquira R, Turcq B (eds) Restingas: origem, estrutura, processos. CEUFF, Niterói-RJ, pp. 217–226
Sinervo B, Méndez-de-la-Cruz F, Miles DB, Heulin B, Bastiaans E, Villagrán-Santa Cruz M, Lara-Resendiz R, Martínez-Méndez N, Calderón-Espinosa ML, Meza-Lázaro RN, Gadsden H, Avila LJ, Morando M, De la Riva IJ, Victoriano Sepulveda P, Rocha CFD, Ibargüengoytía N, Aguilar Puntriano C, Massot M, Lepetz V, Oksanen TA, Chapple DG, Bauer AM, Branch WR, Clobert J, Sites JW (2010) Erosion of lizard diversity by climate change and altered thermal niches. Science 328:894–899. doi:10.1126/science.1184695
Teixeira-Filho PF, Rocha CFD, Ribas SC (1995) Aspectos da ecologia termal e uso do hábitat por Cnemidophorus ocellifer (Sauria: Teiidae) na restinga da Barra de Maricá. RJ Oecol Bras 1:155–165
Teixeira-Filho PF, Rocha CFD, Ribas SC (2003) Relative feeding specialization may depress ontogenetic, seasonal, and sexual variations in diet: the endemic lizard cnemidophorus littoralis (teiidae). Braz J Biol 63(2):321–328. doi:10.1590/S1519-69842003000200017
Vinciprova, G.; Verrastro, L. (2001) O status de conservação da herpetofauna do RS: restingas litorâneas. LUME, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Zamith, L.R.; Sacarano, F.R. (2006) Restoration of a restinga sandy coastal plain in Brazil: survival and growth of planted woody species. Restor Ecol 14(1): 87–94
Warner DA (2000) Ecological observations on the six-lined racerunner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus) in northwestern Illinois. Trans Illinois State Acad Sci 93:239–248
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Conselho Nacional do Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico-CNPq (Process: 472,287/2012–5). We thank Vitor Borges, Catia Militão and Patrícia Santos for field assistance and Davor Vrcibradic and David F. Freitas for reviewing the manuscript. We thank the personnel of the the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Fazenda Caruara and Parque Nacional da Restinga de Jurubatiba for allowing acess to those areas. We also thank Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior –CAPES, for funding part of the project.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cosendey, B.N., Rocha, C.F.D. & de Menezes, V.A. Population density and conservation status of the teiid lizard Cnemidophorus littoralis, an endangered species endemic to the sandy coastal plains (restinga habitats) of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. J Coast Conserv 20, 97–106 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-016-0421-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-016-0421-4