<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Following the rediscovery after 200 years of <italic>Ablepharus kitaibelii fitzingeri</italic> in 2017, we carried out data collection its habitats regarding vegetation, microclimate, and soil on two prominent dolomite hills of the Eastern Bakony. Data collections were carried out in habitat mosaics (xerothermic forest edges on the plateaus, karst shrub forests in south-facing exposure, dry grasslands among forest patches on the plateaus, rocky grasslands in south-facing exposure) of three sampling blocks. Vegetation was examined by phytosociological relevés, microclimate from April to November continuously by TMS-2 dataloggers, and soil by laboratory analyses focused mainly on percentage of different fractions. According to our results a) shrub forests with a south-facing exposure provide a cooler microclimate with temperated fluctuation in the spring–early summer and late summer–early autumn periods; b) plateau grasslands and shrubs are characterised by looser soil structure. Based on our results, heterogeneous habitat character of forest–grassland mosaics of the Pannonicum can mitigate the expected negative effects of climate change on reptiles.</p></abstract>

Following the rediscovery after 200 years of Ablepharus kitaibelii fitzingeri in 2017, we carried out data collection its habitats regarding vegetation, microclimate, and soil on two prominent dolomite hills of the Eastern Bakony. Data collections were carried out in habitat mosaics (xerothermic forest edges on the plateaus, karst shrub forests in south-facing exposure, dry grasslands among forest patches on the plateaus, rocky grasslands in south-facing exposure) of three sampling blocks. Vegetation was examined by phytosociological relevés, microclimate from April to November continuously by TMS-2 dataloggers, and soil by laboratory analyses focused mainly on percentage of different fractions. According to our results a) shrub forests with a south-facing exposure provide a cooler microclimate with temperated fluctuation in the spring–early summer and late summer–early autumn periods; b) plateau grasslands and shrubs are characterised by looser soil structure. Based on our results, heterogeneous habitat character of forest–grassland mosaics of the Pannonicum can mitigate the expected negative effects of climate change on reptiles.

Basic characteristics of microhabitats of snake-eyed skink (<italic>Ablepharus kitaibelii</italic>) in Western Hungary

Department of Botany, Hungarian Natural History Museum

Department of Physical Geography and Geoinformatics

Hacquetia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Basic characteristics of microhabitats of snake-eyed skink () in Western Hungary

Following the rediscovery after 200 years of Ablepharus kitaibelii fitzingeri in 2017, we carried out data collection its habitats regarding vegetation,...

Basic characteristics of microhabitats of snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus kitaibelii) in Western Hungary

Published Online: Mar 01, 2021

Page range: 189 - 196

Received: Feb 08, 2020

Accepted: Mar 25, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/hacq-2020-0004

Keywords
reptile, ecotone, edge habitat, microclimate, soil, climate change, dolomite, vegetation

© 2021 Zoltán Kenyeres et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Basic characteristics of microhabitats of snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus kitaibelii) in Western Hungary

Published Online: Mar 01, 2021

Page range: 189 - 196

Received: Feb 08, 2020

Accepted: Mar 25, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/hacq-2020-0004

Keywordsreptile, ecotone, edge habitat, microclimate, soil, climate change, dolomite, vegetation

© 2021 Zoltán Kenyeres et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
reptile, ecotone, edge habitat, microclimate, soil, climate change, dolomite, vegetation