Habitat suitability and centrality—not peripherality—predict demographic performance in a Neotropical lizard
Data files
Jul 07, 2026 version files 321.73 KB
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Morphometry_data.txt
240.28 KB
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README.md
9.55 KB
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Scalation_data.txt
71.89 KB
Abstract
Aim
The centre–periphery hypothesis (CPH) sustains that peripheral populations are subjected to harsher environmental conditions, which reduces demographic performance manifested, among others, by lower abundance, higher inbreeding and higher developmental instability. However, range centrality/peripherality is not necessarily a good proxy for environmental suitability since geographical distributions are often irregular in shape, barriers may limit dispersal towards suitable areas, and ancestral range shifts may have occurred unevenly in each direction. We evaluated predictions of the CPH for populations of the Neotropical lizard Notomabuya frenata by modelling the effects of environmental suitability and geographical centrality/peripherality upon demographic performance.
Location
Brazilian Cerrado.TaxonNotomabuya frenata (Squamata, Scincidae).
Methods
We used populational values of body size, body mass, body condition, tail autotomy and fluctuating asymmetry (FA; a proxy of developmental instability) to estimate demographic performance. Then, we built correlative models to estimate environmental suitability for each sampled population. Finally, we used hierarchical Bayesian models based on a combination of stochastic partial differential equations and integrated nested Laplace approximations to model the relationships between demographic performance and predictor variables (geographical centrality/peripherality and environmental suitability) and make predictions across the geographical distribution of N. frenata.
Results
Generalized boosting produced the best environmental suitability models. The total suitability area spanned more than 4 million km2 in cis‐Andean South America. All scalation counts presented some degree of asymmetry. Only three response variables—all related to FA—responded significantly to predictor changes. Contrary to the predictions of the CPH, one scalation count presented higher asymmetry closer to the range center and another in more suitable environments. Peripherality did not significantly influence any of the response variables.
Main Conclusions
Populations may respond differently to geographical centrality/peripherality and environmental suitability, as these characteristics do not necessarily coincide. Studies testing the CPH should ideally incorporate these different predictors of demographic performance.
Associated manuscript:
Nappo HC, Campelo PH, Machado LPC, Cavalcante VHGL, Colli GR. 2023. Habitat suitability and centrality—not peripherality—predict demographic performance in a Neotropical lizard. Journal of Biogeography 50:1778–1788. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14688. The study evaluates whether demographic performance of Notomabuya frenata populations is better predicted by environmental suitability or by geographical centrality/peripherality across the species' distribution.
Description of the Dataset
This dataset contains the raw morphological and meristic data used to quantify demographic performance and fluctuating asymmetry in populations of the Neotropical skink Notomabuya frenata sampled throughout its geographic distribution.
The files include:
- morphometric measurements obtained from museum specimens and field-collected individuals;
- tail autotomy records;
- bilateral scale counts used to estimate fluctuating asymmetry.
These data were used to calculate body size, body mass, body condition, tail autotomy frequency, and fluctuating asymmetry metrics, which were analyzed in the accompanying publication.
Files included in this dataset
1. Morphometry_data.txt
Tab-delimited text file containing morphometric measurements and tail autotomy information for individual lizards.
Number of records: 3,305 individuals.
Variables
| Variable | Description | Units / Values |
|---|---|---|
| species | Scientific name | Character string |
| collection_id | Voucher or field identification number of each specimen | Character string |
| municipality | Municipality where the specimen was collected | Character string |
| lat | Latitude of collection locality | Decimal degrees (WGS84); south is negative |
| lon | Longitude of collection locality | Decimal degrees (WGS84); west is negative |
| svl | Snout–vent length | millimetres (mm) |
| mass | Body mass | grams (g) |
| autotomy | Tail condition | y = autotomized tail; n = intact tail; NA = unavailable |
Notes
- Each row represents one individual.
- Museum voucher numbers correspond to the original institutional catalog numbers or field identifiers.
- Geographic coordinates identify collection localities.
- Some specimens lack body measurements or tail-condition information because these data were unavailable from the original source.
2. Scalation_data.txt
Tab-delimited text file containing bilateral meristic characters used to quantify fluctuating asymmetry.
Number of records: 531 individuals.
Each row corresponds to one specimen.
Variables
Identification variables
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| species | Scientific name |
| collection_id | Voucher or field identification number |
| municipality | Municipality of collection |
| lat | Latitude (decimal degrees, WGS84) |
| lon | Longitude (decimal degrees, WGS84) |
Bilateral scale counts
For paired characters, suffixes indicate body side:
- _l = left side
- _r = right side
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| nuchals_l, nuchals_d | Number of nuchal scales (left and right sides; original variable names retained from the authors' dataset) |
| parietals_l, parietals_r | Number of parietal scales |
| supraoculars_l, supraoculars_r | Number of supraocular scales |
| prefrontals_l, prefrontals_r | Number of prefrontal scales |
| supranasals_l, supranasals_r | Number of supranasal scales |
| nasals_l, nasals_r | Number of nasal scales |
| postnasals_l, postnasals_r | Number of postnasal scales |
| loreals_l, loreals_r | Number of loreal scales |
| lower_preoculars_l, lower_preoculars_r | Number of lower preocular scales |
| supraciliaries_l, supraciliaries_r | Number of supraciliary scales |
| temporals_l, temporals_r | Number of temporal scales |
| supralabials_l, supralabials_r | Number of supralabial scales |
| infralabials_l, infralabials_r | Number of infralabial scales |
| chin_shields_l, chin_shields_r | Number of chin shields |
| sublabials_l, sublabials_r | Number of sublabial scales |
| 4finger_subd_lamel_l, 4finger_subd_lamel_r | Number of subdigital lamellae beneath the fourth finger |
| 4toe_subd_lamel_l, 4toe_subd_lamel_r | Number of subdigital lamellae beneath the fourth toe |
Notes
- Bilateral scale counts were used to estimate fluctuating asymmetry.
- Missing values (NA) indicate that the character could not be scored because of specimen damage, preservation artifacts, or incomplete specimens.
File format
Both data files are plain text (.txt) with tab-separated columns.
They can be imported into most statistical software, including:
- R
- Python (pandas)
- Microsoft Excel
- LibreOffice Calc
- SPSS
- SAS
- Stata
Files are encoded as UTF-8 text.
Missing data
Missing values are coded as:
NA
Reasons for missing values include:
- unavailable morphometric measurements;
- damaged or incomplete museum specimens;
- characters that could not be confidently scored.
Geographic coordinate system
Latitude and longitude are reported in decimal degrees using the WGS84 geographic coordinate system.
Negative latitude values indicate the Southern Hemisphere.
Negative longitude values indicate the Western Hemisphere.
Taxonomic information
Species included:
Notomabuya frenata (Cope, 1862)
Family:
Scincidae
Relationship between files
The two tables are complementary.
The shared fields
- species
- collection_id
- municipality
- lat
- lon
allow records from the morphometric and scalation datasets to be linked when the same individual is represented in both files.
Not every specimen has both morphometric and scalation data because different subsets of museum specimens were available for different analyses.
Data collection
Morphometric data were obtained from field studies and museum specimens sampled throughout the geographic distribution of Notomabuya frenata.
Scalation data were collected from preserved specimens through direct counts of paired head scales and subdigital lamellae.
Detailed sampling procedures, study localities, and analytical methods are described in the associated publication.
Use of the dataset
These data were used to investigate relationships among:
- environmental suitability,
- geographic centrality/peripherality,
- body size,
- body mass,
- body condition,
- tail autotomy frequency,
- fluctuating asymmetry,
in populations of Notomabuya frenata across South America.
Sharing/access Information
Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data:
Was data derived from another source? No.
If yes, list source(s):
We recorded 17 meristic scalation counts using a stereomicroscope: nuchals (NU), parietals (PA), supraoculars (SO), prefrontals (PREF), supranasals (SN), nasals (N), postnasals (POSN), loreals (LO), lower preoculars (LP), supraciliaries (SC), temporals (T), supralabials (SPL), infralabials (IL), chin shields (CHS), sublabials (SBL), fourth finger subdigital lamellae (FFSL) and fourth toe subdigital lamellae (FTSL).