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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

8/8 This was a massive team effort! 🙌 Authors: Raquel Acácio, myself (Heitor Sousa), Thiago Portelinha, Guarino Colli, & Adriana Malvasio. We are proud members of Rede Biota Cerrado, working to understand and conserve this biodiversity hotspot! 🇧🇷🌎🌿 #Herpetology #Ecology #SciComm #Cerrado #Neotropics

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

7/8 📉 The risk: If anthropogenic climate change alters precipitation and temperature patterns, this delicate synchronization could break. If hatchlings emerge into conditions that force "low performance," the population could collapse.

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

6/8 Our findings suggest that natural selection timed reproduction so hatchlings emerge exactly when microclimates allow for peak locomotor performance. For a vulnerable hatchling, being able to run at max speed is likely the difference between survival and predation.

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

5/8 But Abundance tells a different story. The population actually peaks in the WET season (Dec-Jan). Why? Because that’s when the hatchlings arrive! 🐣 Recruitment is strongly correlated with rainy months.

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

4/8 THE PARADOX: We captured the most adults in the DRY season. Yet, this is when their physiological performance is lowest due to suboptimal temperatures. They are forced to be active and exposed to find resources, even if they are physiologically "slow".

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

3/8 We put lizards on a race track! 🏃💨 We measured sprint speeds at different temperatures to build thermal performance curves. We then used microclimate data to estimate the "locomotor performance" available to lizards in the field for every month of the study.

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

2/8 We monitored the endemic lizard Tropidurus oreadicus for 4 years in a vegetation gradient in Brazil. We wanted to know: Do environmental variables directly predict survival and recruitment? Or is the story more complex? Spoiler: Environmental variables alone didn't explain the growth.

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

1/8 Lizards run faster in the heat, so why do we catch them more in the dry season? 🤔🦎 Our new study in @biotropica.bsky.social uncovers how locomotor performance—not just rain or temperature—drives population dynamics in the Brazilian Cerrado. 🧵👇 [Link to paper: doi.org/10.1111/btp....

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

7/7 📲 Let’s act before tipping points lock species into vulnerable states. P.S. Late post, but urgent message! 🌍 #OpenScience #Cerrado

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

5/7 🚨 Conservation call: We urge fire management that prioritizes HETEROGENEITY—avoiding severe, homogenizing regimes. Protect habitats that boost reproduction for vulnerable species (e.g., viviparous lizards). Policy makers, take note! #ScienceForAction

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

4/7 ⚖️ Trade-offs revealed: ✅ High-severity fires → ↑ Resistance ❌ But ↓ Compensation & slower recovery. We found severe fires homogenize habitats, disproportionately affecting species with limited reproductive flexibility. We show generation time and reproductive output predict resilience. #Ecology

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

3/7 🦎 Meet our study species: • _Copeoglossum nigropunctatum_ (viviparous, slow-paced) • _Micrablepharus atticolus_ (tiny, fixed clutch size) • _Tropidurus itambere_ (multiple clutches) #BrazilBiodiversity

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

2/7 📊 For 14 years, we tracked 3 lizard species in Brazil’s Cerrado savanna under varying fire regimes. Using mark-recapture data + Bayesian models, we linked vital rates (survival, growth, reproduction) to fire severity. Spoiler: Life history drives resilience. #WildlifeScience

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

1/7 🔥🦎 Why now? Due to social media restrictions in Brazil last year (BSKY > X 👀), we couldn’t share this earlier. Thrilled to finally present our findings: Severe fire regimes DECREASE resilience in ectothermic populations. Resistance ≠ recovery. #FireEcology #Conservation 👉 doi.org/10.1111/1365...

doi.org

Severe fire regimes decrease resilience of ectothermic populations

With a long-term, individual-level data, researchers provide evidence for how disturbance regimes shape the life-history strategies and resilience of three lizard species. As predicted by theory, pop...

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

**10/ Engage Further** – Follow #FireEcology #ConservationScience #Brazil – Support @UFT @UnB initiatives in sustainable fire management. – Share this thread to spark global conversations! 🌱

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

**9/ Access the Study** *“Prioritizing fire management goals in a biodiversity hotspot”* 🔗 [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.005](doi.org/10.1016/j.pe...)

doi.org

Redirecting

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

**8/ Quotes from the authors** @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social: *“Fire isn’t the enemy—it’s a tool. But we need dialogue to use it wisely.”* Guarino Colli: *“Brazil’s Cerrado can model how to unite conservation and development.”*

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

**7/ Global Relevance** Lessons for fire-prone savannas worldwide: – **Collaborative governance** (locals + scientists) reduces wildfire risks. – **Traditional knowledge** is key to sustainable fire use. – **Climate resilience** depends on balancing ecology and livelihoods.

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

**6/ Policy Implications** Brazil’s new **National IFM Plan (Law 14.944/2024)** is a step forward, but success requires: ✅ Training programs for rural communities. ✅ Faster licensing for prescribed burns. ✅ Science-based monitoring of fire regimes.

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

**5/ Why the gap?** – **Education matters**: Higher education correlates with prioritizing biodiversity. – **Age plays a role**: Older residents undervalue fire’s ecological role. – **Policy barriers**: Lack of training and stigma around fire use persist.

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

**4/ Key Findings** – **Perception Gap**: Only ~35% of rural residents see fire as a tool (vs. 72% of specialists).

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

**3/ Key Findings** – **IFM Support**: 91.8% of specialists endorse Integrated Fire Management (IFM) in protected areas; 79.5% support it on private lands.

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

**2/ Key Findings** – **Shared Priorities**: Both rural residents and specialists ranked **water protection** and **biodiversity conservation** as top fire management goals.

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

**1/ Why focus on the Cerrado?** – Home to **5% of Earth’s biodiversity**. – Stores **13.7 billion tons of carbon**. – A water tower for South America, feeding 8 major river basins. Yet, unsustainable fires threaten these ecosystems. 🔥

Cerrado landscape with grasses, forests, and waterfalls

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Heitor C Sousa @bioheitorsousa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

🌎 **NEW STUDY: Bridging gaps in fire management for Brazil’s Cerrado savanna** Our latest paper in *Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation* reveals how rural communities and experts align—and differ—on fire use in a critical biodiversity hotspot. doi.org/10.1016/j.pe... Key findings below 🧵👇

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