Diet composition of omnivorous Mesopotamian spiny-tailed lizards (Saara loricata) in arid human-altered landscapes of Southwest Iran,Ecology and Evolution

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Diet composition of omnivorous Mesopotamian spiny-tailed lizards (Saara loricata) in arid human-altered landscapes of Southwest Iran
Ecology and Evolution ( IF 2.3 ) Pub Date : 2023-01-31 , DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9783
Ali T Qashqaei ₁ , Zeinab Ghaedi ₂ , Sean C P Coogan ₃

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The Mesopotamian spiny-tailed lizard, Saara loricata, is one of the largest lizard species in the Middle East. Here, we report on the diet of the lizard and their potential role in seed dispersal in Southwestern Iran. We analyzed lizard fecal pellet groups (n = 124) for their food item composition and seed content. We calculated the relative frequency of occurrence (FO%), relative volume (V%), and importance value (IV%) for each food item. Moreover, the number of seeds of each plant food item was counted. Our findings reveal the first solid evidence of omnivorous behavior in the lizard. In total, 16 plant food items and 14 animal food items were identified. Herbaceous plants (IV = 110.2%) and invertebrates (4.8%) were the most important food groups. The plant food items with the highest FO% were Poaceae (56.4%), Centaurea sp. (43.5%), and Medicago polymorpha (27.4%); and the V% for these items were 53.6%, 30.9%, and 13.1%, respectively. Most of the seeds that were consumed by lizards were from Poaceae (547 seeds; 47.81%) and Fabaceae (285 seeds; 24.91%). We also found that each individual lizard could play an equal role in the seed dispersal of all plant families identified. Previous studies show that plant species density and richness are important features for the burrow site selection of Mesopotamian spiny-tailed lizard. This study highlights the potential role of lizards in influencing the vegetation communities around their burrows through seed dispersal.

中文翻译：

伊朗西南部干旱人类改变地区杂食性美索不达米亚刺尾蜥蜴（Saara loricata）的饮食结构

美索不达米亚刺尾蜥蜴Saara loricata是中东最大的蜥蜴物种之一。在这里，我们报告了蜥蜴的饮食及其在伊朗西南部种子传播中的潜在作用。我们分析了蜥蜴粪便颗粒组（ n = 124）的食物成分和种子含量。我们计算了每种食品的相对出现频率 (FO%)、相对数量 (V%) 和重要性值 (IV%)。此外，还计算了每种植物性食物的种子数量。我们的发现揭示了蜥蜴杂食行为的第一个确凿证据。总共鉴定出 16 种植物性食品和 14 种动物性食品。草本植物（IV = 110.2%）和无脊椎动物（4.8%）是最重要的食物类别。 FO% 最高的植物性食物是禾本科 (56.4%)、矢车菊属 ( Centaurea sp.)。 (43.5%) 和紫花苜蓿(27.4%)；这些项目的 V% 分别为 53.6%、30.9% 和 13.1%。蜥蜴消耗的大部分种子来自禾本科（547 粒种子；47.81%）和豆科植物（285 粒种子；24.91%）。我们还发现，每只蜥蜴在所有已识别植物科的种子传播中都可以发挥同等的作用。以往的研究表明，植物物种密度和丰富度是美索不达米亚刺尾蜥洞穴选址的重要特征。这项研究强调了蜥蜴通过种子传播影响其洞穴周围植被群落的潜在作用。

更新日期：2023-02-02

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