Abstract

ROJAS MURCIA, Luis Eduardo; CARVAJAL COGOLLO, Juan E  and  CABREJO BELLO, Javier Alejandro. Reptiles from the Seasonal Dry Forest the Caribbean Region: Distribution of Habitat and use of Food Resource. Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2016, vol.21, n.2, pp.365-377. ISSN 0120-548X.  https://doi.org/10.15446/abc.v21n2.49393.

We assessed the horizontal distribution and use of the food resource of the reptile's assemblage of the seasonal tropical dry forest in the North of the Caribbean region of Colombia, department of Cesar. Five fieldtrips of 12 days each were performed, sampling was diurnal and nocturnal, following a transect design replicated along different habitats including grasslands, edge and interior of forest. We performed descriptive analyzes of habitat use, using a profile of vegetation by each climatic period; we also did an analysis of amplitude and niche overlap. We recorded 38 species of 14 families of the Squamata order. Species distributed evenly between open and forested areas. Record of 31 categories of prey in 109 stomachs of six species snakes (61 stomachs) and seven of lizards (48 stomachs) with a percentage of empty stomachs of 38 % was found. The preys of greater importance for the lizards were Coleoptera and Araneae and for snakes, amphibians. Most of the species presented a wide range of diet and between similar species, such as Anolis auratus and A.gaigei, found a similar use of resources. In summary, the assembly of reptiles presented a homogeneous distribution in the habitats evaluated (forested and open areas) and the food resource varied among the different species; the seasonality of the area plays a fundamental role on the structure of this reptile assembly with less abundance during the dry season in both, open and forested habitats.

Keywords : competition; diet; horizontal distribution; trophic niche; tropical dry forest.

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