Ecological and taxonomic dissimilarity in species and higher taxa of reptiles in western Mexico.

Reptiles are one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates in the world that are distributed in almost all ecosystems. Many of these studies have focused on exploring their diversity patterns across different environments; and recent studies on reptile alpha and beta diversity have incorporated a multifaceted approach into their analysis to have more comprehensive evaluations. This study presents an assessment of the taxonomic diversity of reptile patterns using methods that incorporate the assessment of higher taxa.

Taxonomic diversity of terrestrial vertebrates in west-central Mexico: Conservation from a multi-taxa perspective.

Multi-taxa approaches are increasingly used because they describe complementary aspects of ecosystem dynamics from a community ecology perspective. In west-central Mexico, the complex biogeography and topography have created an environment where temperate and tropical forests converge, resulting in great biological diversity. Within this region, the Sierra de Quila Natural Protected Area (SQPA) offers an important example for understanding ecological community dynamics.

Taxonomic diversity of amphibians (Amphibia, Anura) and reptiles (Reptilia, Testudines, Squamata) in a heterogeneous landscape in west-central Mexico: a checklist and notes on geographical distributions.

In Mexico, land use changes have significantly impacted the diversity of amphibians and reptiles in a negative way. In light of this, we evaluate the alpha and beta components of the taxonomic diversity of amphibians and reptiles in a heterogeneous landscape in west-central Mexico. Additionally, we provide a checklist of amphibian and reptile species recorded over nine years of observations within the studied landscape and surrounding areas.