Identifying Disruptions of Population Processes in Fragmented Landscapes for an Endemic Habitat Specialist, the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus Arenicolus)
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation and habitat loss are two of the main drivers of biodiversity
loss. This anthropogenic reduction of habitat and the corresponding increasing isolation
can lead to negative consequences for biodiversity including species loss, changes in
community composition, and reduced species diversity at multiple levels of organization.
Understanding how a species is distributed across the landscape is especially important in
conservation contexts, as variations in habitat quality can drive population persistence. My
dissertation focused on Sceloporus arenicolus (dunes sagebrush lizard) a habitat specialist
endemic to the Mescalero Monahans Sandhills ecosystem threatened by loss and
degradation of shinnery oak dunes. Extensive development of well-pad and road networks
has led to fragmentation of shinnery oak dunes, negatively impacting S. arenciolus
populations. I utilized data from three different studies to elucidate responses of S.
arenicolus populations in highly fragmented areas, understanding how S. arenicolus use
and move through habitat, and finally estimating occupancy probabilities across part of its
Texas range.
To understand how populations of S. arenicolus and other dune-dwelling lizards in
the community were impacted by landscape fragmentation, we captured lizards on 27
independent trapping grids located in unfragmented (N=18) and fragmented (N=9) sites in
southeastern New Mexico from 2009 to 2013. Using a two-way ANOVA, we tested for
effects of fragmentation and year on capture rates for each species. Capture rates of S.
arenicolus decreased to zero in all fragmented sites. Before extirpation, the demographic
structure of S. arenicolus and Holbrookia maculata (common lesser earless lizard), were
severely disrupted at fragmented sites, with proportions of juveniles, adult males or adult
females being over or under represented during sample months. To understand patterns in
use, settlement, and vacancy at both the microhabitat and landscape scales at two different
sites, we trapped S. arenicolus at two different trapping sites (~14 ha each). For each site
individually, we modeled use, settlement, vacancy, and detection as functions of
microhabitat and landscape variables in separate analyses. I showed that microhabitat and
landscape context influence use, settlement, and vacancy patterns in complex ways; these
patterns were dynamic and no single variable consistently predicted the dynamics among
the patterns. Microhabitat variables better predicted the probability of use, while
landscape-scale variables better predicted probabilities of settlement and vacancy.
Finally, to gain a baseline understanding of occupancy in parts of the range of S.
arenicolus in Texas using the range map from the Texas Conservation Plan, 100 16-ha
sites were surveyed multiple times (336 surveys total) from May to August 2014–2016.
Thirty-three S. arenicolus were detected during 17 surveys at nine sites in areas classified
as Very High likelihood of occurrence. Occupancy probability for S. arenicolus in the
Very High likelihood of occurrence areas was 0.32 ± 0.09 (SE), with a detection
probability of 0.52 ± 0.12. Local extinction probabilities were low at 0.12 ± 0.18, with the
colonization probability fixed at zero. No S. arenicolus were detected in the 54% of
surveys that occurred outside the currently recognized range.
Citation
Walkup, Danielle Kathryn (2018). Identifying Disruptions of Population Processes in Fragmented Landscapes for an Endemic Habitat Specialist, the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus Arenicolus). Doctoral dissertation, Texas A & M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /174306.