If selective forces on locomotor ability and reproductive biology differ among habitats, we expect to see relationships between habitat, morphology, and life-history traits. Comparative (phylogenetically based) analysis of data from 12 pythonid and 12 boid snake species reveals multiple evolutionary shifts in habitat use, notably in the evolution of arboreal habits. Compared to terrestrial and ...

Predator activities may lead to the accumulation of nutrients in specific areas of terrestrial habitats where they dispose of prey carcasses. In their feeding sites, predators may increase nutrient availability in the soil and favor plant nutrition and growth. However, the translocation of nutrients from one habitat to another may depend on predator identity and diet, as well as on the amount o...

Amphibians and reptiles were collected from tree buttresses in two different regions to determine whether within-habitat species diversity differences were evident. Using the method suggested by Pielou (1966), the average species diversity per individual was H' = 1.92 ± .47 for the collection of amphibians and reptiles taken from tree buttresses in a tropical dry forest formation in Thailand, H...

The Pantanal is a large savanna wetland (138,183 km2 in Brazil), important for its wildlife, fed by tributaries of the upper Paraguay River, center of South America (Brazil, touching Bolivia and Paraguay). Uplands are plateaus (250-1,200 m high, 215,000 km2 in Brazil) and flatland is the Pantanal (80-150 m high, 147,574 km2 in Brazil). Rivers are slow moving when they meet the flatland (slope 0...

Observations of distributions of microorganisms and their differences in community composition across habitats provide evidence of biogeographical patterns. However, little is known about the processes controlling transfers across habitat gradients. By analysing the overall microbial community composition (bacteria, fungi, archaea) across a terrestrial-freshwater gradient, the aim of this study...