Dinâmicas urbanas no uso da terra influenciam a diversidade taxonômica, condição corporal e traços funcionais da assembleia de escorpiões em Brejos de altitudes Paraibanos

Abstract

Urbanization, a phenomenon that continuously transforms natural environments into industrial, residential, and agricultural areas, leads to high rates of deforestation, fragmentation, and land use changes. This process creates forest fragments embedded within urban matrices, forcing biodiversity to adapt to altered environments. Land cover and environmental heterogeneity shaped by urbanization impact the distribution and genetic diversity of species, while also increasing heat islands and climatic pressures. Urban growth has been associated with declines in body conditions and changes in the morphometric traits of organisms that manage to permeate these habitats. Furthermore, urbanization promotes biotic and functional homogenization, where ecosystems are composed of a reduced number of species with lower variability, performing similar functions in the environment. In the tropics, particularly in montane forest enclaves characterized by their humid forests at high altitudes, urbanization and human activities such as intensive agriculture and logging result in habitat loss and fragmentation. These ecosystems, rich in biodiversity, are particularly vulnerable due to their location within caatinga regions and socioeconomic limitations. Despite this, some species, such as scorpions, exhibit ecological plasticity, occupying various habitats, including urban areas. Scorpions, due to their sensitivity to environmental changes, emerge as potential bioindicators for monitoring the impacts of urbanization on biodiversity. Studies indicate that environmental complexity is crucial for the survival of these organisms, with more heterogeneous habitats offering greater availability of microhabitats and prey. Therefore, it is essential that modified ecosystems provide the minimum conditions for the survival and maintenance of populations, highlighting the importance of environmental complexity in habitat quality.