. Fluctuating asymmetry and environmental stress in a reptile under different levels of anthropogenic disturbance

CASTILLO, GABRIEL NATALIO; CYNTHIA JESICA GONZALEZ RIVAS

Journal of Vertebrate Biology

Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Año: 2023 vol. 72 p. 1 - 8

In the Monte region (Argentina), habitat degradation by the local population is severe, and is mainly associated to native vegetation extraction and domestic animal grazing. We studied the fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in the cephalic region and morphological variation of Aurivela longicauda (Teiidae) through a Procrustes analysis with geometric morphometry in a disturbed and control environment. We predict the disturbed environment to have higher levels of asymmetry compared to the control environment. We found differences in shape in the cephalic region of both environments, but not in size. Differences were found between the right and left side of the lizard head (object symmetry), determining fluctuating asymmetry, being these differences greater in the disturbed site. Anthropic activities would act as stressors and could drive alterations in the fitness (reproduction), of reptile populations. We suggest that fluctuating asymmetry analyses are an excellent tool and could be applied in conservation biology and environmental monitoring. This is the first study of asymmetry using geometric morphometry in a lizard of Argentina.