A influência de variáveis climáticas e microclimáticas sobre a população de tropidurus oreadicus (squamata: tropiduridae), e a associação com o uso e cobertura do solo na área da Serra do Lajeado, estado do Tocantins

Abstract

The conversion of Cerrado native areas into agropastoral ones threatens the biodiversity. Changes in the land use are intensifying in the Environmental Protected Area (APA) Serra do Lajeado/TO, harming not only the human local population, but also the local biodiversity, with special attention to the lizard fauna. Thus, it is urgent to know the local biodiversity and investigate how these environmental changes affect the ecosystems, climate, microclimate, and consequently the organisms’ vital rates, such as lizards, influencing the population dynamics from the species. This study investigated the effects of climatic and microclimatic variables upon the population of Tropidurus oreadicus and the association with the land use and cover in the Serra do Lajeado area, besides evaluating the environmental perception from the social actors in this protected area. For capturing the lizards, we installed pitfall traps in the Lajeado State Park (PEL). We sampled Monthly from February/2018 to November/2021. For the study of the environmental perception, we made interviews in the south region of the APA Serra do Lajeado. Our results show that the number of captures of T. oreadicus was higher in the dry seasons, with peaks between May and July each year. Precipitation and locomotor performance were good predictors of the capture probability and number of captures of T. oreadicus. There is higher number of captures in the driest months and when the precipitation increases, higher locomotor performance becomes important for the species. We found a strong correlation between recruitment and the rainy months of the year, with peaks in December and January. However, the climatic and microclimatic variation did not explain sufficiently the recruitment nor survival variation. Thus, the population growth of T. oreadicus followed a seasonal pattern, increasing in the rainy season. We evaluated the environmental perception of 48 social actors resident from the southern region of the APA. The interviewees showed concerns about the socioenvironmental changes and negative narratives about the agropastoral practices, the subdivision expansion, intense use of fire, temperature increases, and rainfall decreases in the area. They also showed unfamiliarity about Conservation Units, even the one where they lived in. Therefore, the environmental perception is important for the conservation of protected areas to know the motivations, preferences, and attitudes from the people to subside conservation actions, such as environmental education and social communication involving the communities in the surroundings of these areas. Higher acess to the knowledge about the biodiversity and its threats can help in increasing the active participation, planning, and execution of conservationist measures in areas with lack of information.