Movement Patterns and Use of Habitat Corridors in Lacerta viridis in a Semi-Natural Habitat

Fragmentation of wildlife habitats by anthropogenic landscapes is a common cause of habitat degradation, highlighting the need to increase connectivity to support wildlife populations. This study focuses on the Eastern green lizard (Lacerta viridis) and investigates the effectiveness of a species-specific established corridor network in allowing lizards to move between isolated habitat sections in a vineyard landscape. Using a non-invasive photographic capture-recapture approach, individual movements were tracked to assess sex-specific patterns and distances covered in adult lizards. The study also provided insight into population parameters such as sex ratio and spatial distribution of the resident green lizard population. Results showed a surplus of male individuals and clustered distributions along the habitats. Both male and female green lizards use the habitat network, with males covering larger distances. The connectivity structures facilitated the movement of males between habitat sections, with some individuals covering distances exceeding 250 m. Hereby, male movement distances correlated with female abundance, which emphasizes the importance of connectivity structures in maintaining population stability. Two parameters correlated to female abundance showed significance in the models. First, the fewer females were detected in a male's core area, the higher the probability that it migrated a long distance. Secondly, a positive correlation existed between males' covered distance and female abundance in their entire activity range. Overall, this research highlights the importance of habitat connectivity measures for natural population dynamics by supporting male lizards to migrate in search of females.