Fear level and intraguild predation are factors that act together to directly influence animal behavior, population dynamics, and community structure. These factors trigger stress, which promotes behavioral, morphological, physiological, and demographic changes, especially in the prey. Some invertebrates, such as scorpions, are known to have a refined chemoreception system to perceive both prey and predators. Therefore, we investigated the ability of an intraguild prey, the scorpion Ananteris mauryi Lourenço, 1982, to detect chemical traces of its predator, the scorpion Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893. Our goal was to verify whether A. mauryi exhibits antipredator behavior induced exclusively by chemical cues from its predator. Ananteris mauryi specimens were subjected to two experimental treatments: one with and one without traces of T. pusillus. The results showed that A. mauryi tended to avoid substrates with chemical traces of T. pusillus, confirming its capacity for chemical detection. As a result of this perception, changes in behavioral frequencies were triggered, generating an antipredator behavioral repertoire. These findings were supported by behavioral changes, such as tail wagging, which is performed exclusively by scorpions in the presence of a predator and at imminent risk of predation.

Urban landscapes restrain the distribution of forest‐dwelling species, which may be related to challenging conditions that impair body condition. The dynamics in urban areas lead to the simplification of communities that inhabit forest patches in cities with the turnover of sensitive species for opportunistic ones. In this study, we investigated the effect of urbanization on the body condition and diversity of scorpions at the landscape scale. Sampling was carried out in 10 forest patches in an urban matrix in Brazil, originally covered by a tropical rainforest. The surroundings of the landscape of each forest patch were characterized through the amount of forest, agriculture, and urban land cover. Individual body length, dry, lipid, and muscular masses were used as proxies of Tityus pusillus body condition. In total, 147 scorpions were collected, belonging to the species Ananteris mauryi, T. pusillus, T. stigmurus, and T. neglectus. Forest cover explained 28% of species variation. There was a positive relationship between forest cover and T. pusillus and A. mauryi abundances, while T. stigmurus was negatively affected by forest cover. Species richness and total scorpion abundance were not influenced by landscape metrics. In terms of body condition, only females of T. pusillus were affected by landscape variables, with individuals showing higher body mass with an increase in forest cover. Our results suggest that urban forests can support scorpion assemblages. However, there is a turnover in specialist forest species for opportunistic species. Forest cover is a crucial factor in maintaining healthy scorpion populations in urban areas.

Acoustic signals play a fundamental role in the lives of anurans. With the increasing prevalence of wind farms in Caatinga ecosystems, our goal was to assess whether the noise generated by this energy source poses a threat to anuran communication. We analyzed acoustic parameters of the advertisement calls from 181 adult males, of the species Scinax pachycrus, Scinax x-signatus, and Physalaemus cicada. Call activity was recorded across noise gradients in 19 temporary ponds with similar vegetation structures, distributed in two wind farms. Our results revealed a significant relationship between wind turbine noise and changes in acoustic parameters of the three species, distinctly influencing their spectral and temporal parameters of the advertisement calls. Dominant frequency, frequency range of Scinax pachycrus were affected by the noise, decreasing in noisier temporary ponds, while Scinax x-signatus decreased call amplitude and call pulses. On the other hand, Physalaemus cicada showed changes only in temporal variables, with reductions in call duration and call pulses, and an increase in call rate to cope whit noise in temporary ponds. Therefore, noise pollution becomes particularly concerning for the anurans of the Caatinga, as the areas of greatest interest for wind power generation overlap with priority areas for biodiversity conservation.

Currently, natural forests face significant loss of vegetation cover linked to habitat loss due to urban expansion. Therefore, we investigated the effects of changes in different land uses and land cover at the landscape scale resulting from the urbanization process on the functional traits of the body of scorpions in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. In 10 forest fragments in Paulista, Pernambuco, we observed that forest cover had a statistically significant negative relationship with the average functional body traits of the scorpion assemblage. Distinct functional body traits were associated with the conditions of the surrounding landscape. Forest units with lower forest cover harbored species with higher average functional body traits, indicating adaptation to the urban scenario. Conversely, in areas with greater forest cover, species with smaller functional body traits predominated, suggesting habitat sensitivity and dependence on less disturbed environments. Our results indicate that scorpions may be indicators of changes in functional body traits due to land use change. These findings highlight significant implications for biodiversity conservation in the Atlantic Forest in the face of urban expansion, emphasizing the role of scorpions as key indicators of changes in functional body traits in response to the altered landscape.

Although it has its advantages for the development of urban areas, road construction is among the greatest threats to biodiversity, due to fragmentation, habitat loss, and changes in landscape structure. This study investigated the effects of different traffic intensities on the understory spider assemblage in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Understory spiders were collected between 09:00 h–16:00 h using beating tray samples on roadside vegetation on roads with and without traffic. In total, 1616 spiders belonging to 24 families and 317 morphospecies were collected. The families Araneidae and Theridiidae were more abundant and showed a higher number of morphospecies on both roads. Understory spiders were classified into seven guilds. However, no significant differences were found in functional and taxonomic richness and abundance between the roads. These results indicate that understory spider assemblages showed no significant response to traffic intensity, suggesting potential resilience to this disturbance in the studied context. Additionally, the proximity between locations may result in the founder effect, with spiders migrating from the preserved site to the impacted site. Overall, this study indicates that traffic presence does not significantly impact the diversity and composition of understory spider assemblages in the studied region.