Abstract Previous observations support predictions that habitat structure plays a major role in the distribution of species in several tropical regions. In such environments, arthropods are a key component of ecosystems because they are predators that may directly influence the energy flow dynamics in the ecosystem. As such, we investigated the effects of environmental structure on scorpion diversity in the Caatinga ecoregion - a seasonally dry tropical forest mainly distributed in northeastern Brazil. Scorpions were sampled in 12 locations in different Caatinga sites. At each location, we recorded a set of environmental predictors, including litter depth, and the densities of trees, shrubs, stones, and fallen logs. A total of 782 scorpions were collected, including eight species in the family Buthidae and two species in the family Bothriuridae. Scorpion composition and abundance were positively correlated with shrub and tree densities, illustrating the importance of landscape features for the maintenance of scorpion assemblages in Caatinga environments. Furthermore, based on new substantial insights, habitat degradation caused by human activities negatively affects the assemblage of Caatinga scorpions.

中文翻译：

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栖息地异质性在巴西季节性干燥热带森林中塑造和改变蝎子组合

摘要 先前的观察支持了栖息地结构在几个热带地区的物种分布中起主要作用的预测。在这样的环境中，节肢动物是生态系统的关键组成部分，因为它们是可能直接影响生态系统能量流动动态的捕食者。因此，我们调查了环境结构对卡廷加生态区蝎子多样性的影响 - 主要分布在巴西东北部的季节性干燥热带森林。蝎子在卡廷加不同地点的 12 个地点进行了采样。在每个位置，我们都记录了一组环境预测因子，包括凋落物深度以及树木、灌木、石头和倒下的原木的密度。共收集到782只蝎子，其中蝎科8种，双蝎科2种。蝎子的组成和丰度与灌木和树木的密度呈正相关，说明景观特征对卡廷加环境中蝎子组合的维护的重要性。此外，基于新的实质性见解，人类活动引起的栖息地退化对卡廷加蝎子的组合产生负面影响。