Uso de habitat e distribuição espacial dos lagartos Iguana iguanaLinnaeus 1758 eTropidurusspp. Wied 1825 em cidades da Amazônia

Abstract

We investigated the spatial distribution and habitats of species of lava lizards (T. hispidus, T. oreadicus and T. madeiramamore) and green iguanas (Iguana iguana) in Amazonian cities, aiming to understand the adaptation of these animals to urban ecosystems in the Amazon. Lava lizards (Tropidurus spp.) weigh less than 50 grams and tend to be insectivorous, while green iguanas can weigh more than seven kilograms, feeding mainly on plants. Data on the occurrence of the studied lizards in six cities of the Brazilian Amazon were obtained through the photographs available on the Inaturalist platform (https://www.inaturalist.org/). We analyzed the habitats of these lizard species at two scales. At the microscale, we obtained information about the substrate (natural or anthropogenic) and vertical distribution (ground or above ground) directly from photographs. Additionally, we analyzed the landscapes around the photographic records (300 meters) using categorical maps available on the mapbiomas platform (https://plataforma.brasil.mapbiomas.org/coverage). 426 photographs of green iguanas and 231 photographs of lava lizards were analyzed. Green iguanas were recorded more frequently on natural substrates compared to lava lizards, which use natural and anthropogenic substrates more equally. Green iguanas were similarly distributed on or above the ground, contrasting sharply with lava lizards which were most photographed above the ground. Cubs and juveniles of green iguanas were photographed more frequently above the ground compared to subadults and adults. In Belém and Manaus, green iguanas and lava lizards were more frequently recorded in areas greatly urbanized. The quantity and types of landscapes around the records of green iguanas and lava lizards were similar. In the process to adapt to the urban ecosystems of the Amazon, the lizards studied seem to adopt different strategies in the use of microhabitats in apparently similar landscapes.This adaptive process may be partially associated with feeding and anti-predatory strategies adopted by the studied lizards.