TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of anthropogenic disturbance and vegetation composition on ecophysiology and activity of Uromastyx aegyptia (Forskål, 1775)
AU - Al-Sayegh, Mohammed T.
AU - Abd El-Wahab, Raafat H.
AU - Wright, Christian D.
AU - DeNardo, Dale F.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was performed in accordance with Arizona State University’s (ASU) Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocol 12-1244R and was partially funded by Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) under project code “ P114-62SL-01 ”. The authors thank Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) , Kuwait; Environment Public Authority (EPA) , Kuwait; Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) , Kuwait; and Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait for their help and valuable support.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) .
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS).This study was performed in accordance with Arizona State University's (ASU) Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocol 12-1244R and was partially funded by Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) under project code “P114-62SL-01”. The authors thank Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS), Kuwait; Environment Public Authority (EPA), Kuwait; Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait; and Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait for their help and valuable support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2020/10
Y1 - 2020/10
N2 - Anthropogenic disturbances, particularly in deserts where resources and biodiversity are limited, may affect the delicate balance that enables an organism to exist in its environment. In this study, we investigated the impacts of human disturbance and the resulting changes in vegetation composition on activity, thermal biology, and body condition index of the Egyptian spiny-tailed burrowing lizard, Uromastyx aegyptia. Thirty-six adult U. aegyptia, were radio-tracked twice per week inside and outside protected habitats in the Kuwaiti desert. Vegetation composition, richness, abundance and density were surveyed in 115 plots randomly selected close to the active burrows and in the interspace areas. The high percentage of browsing on certain species such as Cyperus conglomeratus, Moltkiopsis ciliata, Rhanterium epapposum, and Convolvulus oxyphyllus may indicate that these species are characterized by high palatability and nutritional values for livestock and wild animals including dhubs. Dhub burrows were closer to each other inside the protected sites than outside of the protected sites. While habitat protection provided more vegetation and refuge to the dhubs and greater body mass at the beginning of the active season, it had little effect on seasonal changes in body mass and surface activity times of dhubs.
AB - Anthropogenic disturbances, particularly in deserts where resources and biodiversity are limited, may affect the delicate balance that enables an organism to exist in its environment. In this study, we investigated the impacts of human disturbance and the resulting changes in vegetation composition on activity, thermal biology, and body condition index of the Egyptian spiny-tailed burrowing lizard, Uromastyx aegyptia. Thirty-six adult U. aegyptia, were radio-tracked twice per week inside and outside protected habitats in the Kuwaiti desert. Vegetation composition, richness, abundance and density were surveyed in 115 plots randomly selected close to the active burrows and in the interspace areas. The high percentage of browsing on certain species such as Cyperus conglomeratus, Moltkiopsis ciliata, Rhanterium epapposum, and Convolvulus oxyphyllus may indicate that these species are characterized by high palatability and nutritional values for livestock and wild animals including dhubs. Dhub burrows were closer to each other inside the protected sites than outside of the protected sites. While habitat protection provided more vegetation and refuge to the dhubs and greater body mass at the beginning of the active season, it had little effect on seasonal changes in body mass and surface activity times of dhubs.
KW - Conserved habitats
KW - Disturbed habitats
KW - Human disturbance
KW - Kuwait desert
KW - Physiological functions
KW - Spiny-tailed lizards
KW - Uromastyx aegyptia
KW - Vegetation composition
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2020.104232
DO - 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2020.104232
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85086906732
SN - 0140-1963
VL - 181
JO - Journal of Arid Environments
JF - Journal of Arid Environments
M1 - 104232
ER -