Space drives diversity of squamate reptile assemblages in Atlantic Forest highlands of southeastern Brazil

Spatial location is currently recognized as one of the main factors driving species diversity. Thus, the diversity of closer localities would be expected to be more similar than more distant localities. However, spatial heterogeneity of vegetation can also influence the distribution and diversity. Squamates are good models for the study of diversity and distribution, because share available resources in environment. Here, we investigate how squamate diversity varies throughout heterogeneous habitats and how space influences this diversity at local and regional scales of the Atlantic Forest. Our local scale corresponded to a mosaic of forest and open fields in southeastern Brazil, while our regional scale corresponded to squamate assemblages within the Atlantic Forest domain in southeastern and northeastern Brazil. Species diversity varied throughout the mosaic in terms of species composition and relative abundance, with some species being clearly associated with a particular physiognomy. On a local scale, both space and environmental heterogeneity were associated with diversity and distribution of squamates. On a regional scale, however, the geographical location of the studied communities was the main factor in the structure of squamate assemblages the Atlantic Forest. Our results evidence a clear influence of space in structuring squamate diversity on local and regional scales throughout the Atlantic Forest. These results demonstrate that different factors, such as neutral dynamics caused by spatial autocorrelation, and/or microhabitat structuring, operate differently at different scales. Therefore, such factors should be considered when assessing the structuring of Squamate assemblages, especially in highly diversified biomes such as the Atlantic Forest.