Habitat occupancy and microhabitat use of Uromastyx acanthinura in arid regions of tunisia

Understanding species distributions and the factors shaping them is an important topic in ecology and conservation. This study explores the spatial distribution and habitat requirements of the desert lizard Uromastyx acanthinura in desert and arid areas of southern Tunisia. From February 2016 to November 2018, repeated field surveys were conducted across 50 sampling sites to locate individuals and active burrows of U. acanthinura. For each plot, microhabitat characteristics (altitude, burrow entrance direction, mountain slopes orientation, distance to nearest road, agricultural areas, and urban areas) were recorded. The abundance of predators such as diurnal carnivores (foxes and wolves) and prey (insects), as well as plant abundance, was also noted. Generalized linear mixed models were used to identify the main drivers of U. acanthinura occurrence in Tunisia. Our results indicate that lizard occurrence is positively associated with rocky habitats located near agricultural and urban areas, and with mountain slopes oriented between southwest and southeast exposures. In addition, food availability played a key role, as both plant and insect abundance were significantly higher in occupied plots and positively correlated, indicating that the species is more likely to occur in sites with higher resource availability. These findings further indicate that habitats located near agricultural and urban areas may provide enhanced foraging opportunities for the species.