Effects of habitat degradation on the lizard assemblage in the Arid Chaco, central Argentina

Habitat degradation in the Chaco has been intense and widespread since European settlement. Detailed knowledge about its effects on the Chaco fauna is scarce despite the critical importance of such information for biodiversity conservation. The effects of habitat degradation on the Arid Chaco lizard assemblage were evaluated by comparing species richness and abundance in four sites along a gradient of increasing vegetation degradation. Two undisturbed sites (primary forest and grassland), and two sites with different degrees of forest degradation (moderate and severe) were selected. Ten lizard species were recorded (nine were trapped and one was sighted), totaling 1122 captures. Abundance of Homonota fasciata, Leiosaurus paronae, Liolaemus chacoensis and Stenocercus doellojuradoi was highest in the primary forest, with significantly lower values in the remaining three sites. Teius teyou and Tropidurus etheridgei were more abundant in the moderately and severely degraded forests than in the primary forest. Management implications of our results in terms of lizard biodiversity in the Chaco are analyzed.

► Most of the Chaco forest characteristics are altered in degraded plots.
► Abundance of lizards decreases with habitat degradation.
► Habitat degradation in the Chaco does not lead to lizard species extinction.