Data from: Effects of vegetation density on the diversity of lizards in an area of the Brazilian Cerrado

The Cerrado is a highly threatened biome that harbors a great portion of
Brazilian biodiversity, including many endemic species. Such richness may
reflect its environmental heterogeneity, which includes different
vegetation types (from grasslands to forests). Several endemic species in
the Cerrado are strongly associated with open vegetation types. Recent
studies have shown that woody encroachment can negatively impact several
components of biodiversity. In the present study, we provide information
on variation in lizard diversity across different vegetation types in a
protected area located in the southern portion of the Cerrado and
evaluated the effect of vegetation density on lizard taxonomic,
functional, and phylogenetic diversity. We predicted that the three
aspects of lizard diversity would be negatively affected by vegetation
density and that Beta diversity would vary significantly across the
vegetation gradient. We confirmed nearly all of our predictions, except
for functional diversity, which, contrary to our expectations, was
positively influenced by vegetation density. We also found that Beta
diversity indices based on both species composition/abundance and
phylogenetic features of communities experience a significant turnover
across the vegetation density gradient. This study greatly strengthens
previous studies that suggest a negative impact of vegetation density
(and, consequently, woody encroachment) on lizard diversity. Therefore,
managers of protected areas in the Cerrado should consider the use of
strategies to avoid woody encroachment, like fire management with
prescribed fires.