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Current Herpetology
Abstract
Abstract:
Studies of elevational variation in diets in lizards have often found shifts in diet composition among elevations. Herein, we studied the diets of Sceloporus variabilis from six populations found in a variety of habitats along an elevational gradient (3–1900 m) in Puebla and Veracruz, Mexico. Diets of S. variabilis for the six populations were similar at the order level, with hymenopterans and coleopterans being the most important prey items. However, the specific taxa at the family or genus level varied among the six populations. The presence of plant material in diets varied among the six populations, with the two lowest elevation populations and the highest elevation population containing the most of this material.
This study was funded by Subsecretaría de Educación Superior through Dirección General de Educación Superior Universitaria e Intercultural, and Dirección de Superación Académica granted the funds for a research academy on Ecology, Distribution and Conservation of Wildlife IDCA 27963, Clave ITESZACACA-4, 2020–2021, internal grants of the ITS Zacapoaxtla PI-LB granted to GAWP. Special thanks to INECOL for providing all the facilities at the CICOLMA biological station. We also thank G. Tilihuit, V. Cardona, M. Contreras, G. Gasca, S. Márquez, and students specializing in “use and management of biodiversity” for logistical support in the field and laboratory, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript. Specimens were collected under the capture permit SEMARNAT SGPA/DGVS/05789/19.
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