Broad-Scale Climatic Gradients Drive Multiple Facets of Scorpion Beta Diversity in Northeastern Brazil

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  Broad-Scale Climatic Gradients Drive Multiple Facets of Scorpion Beta Diversity in Northeastern Brazil ABSTRACT Aim Beta diversity analyses clarify mechanisms structuring ecological communities, but their multidimensional facets remain poorly explored in arthropods. Here, we quantified taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional beta diversity in scorpions, partitioned these facets into species replacement and richness differences, and evaluated the relative importance of spatial structure and environmental conditions in driving community assembly. Location Northeastern Brazil, South America. Taxon Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Methods Taxonomic beta diversity was estimated using species presence across 70 sites in northeastern Brazil. Phylogenetic turnover was calculated from a multi-locus molecular tree, and functional beta diversity was derived from morphometric and ecological traits. All beta diversity facets were decomposed into replacement and richness-difference component...

Oscillating in darkness: Circadian rhythms of cave-dwelling scorpions

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Oscillating in darkness: Circadian rhythms of cave-dwelling scorpions

ABSTRACT

Circadian rhythms, typically synchronized with light–dark cycles, regulate key biological processes in surface organisms. In caves, however, the absence of light may disrupt these rhythms or promote alternative temporal patterns. We examined locomotor activity in two cave-dwelling scorpions with contrasting degrees of subterranean adaptation: Troglorhopalurus translucidus (troglobitic) and Troglorhopalurus lacrau (troglophilic). Activity was monitored under constant darkness (DD), light–dark (LD), and constant light (LL). Both species retained circadian rhythmicity, but with distinct responses: T. translucidus and T. lacrau exhibited diurnal activity under LD and changes in period under DD and LL. These findings demonstrate that circadian regulation persists in cave-adapted scorpions, but its expression is shaped by evolutionary pressures, highlighting the plasticity of biological clocks in light-deprived environments.

de Souza, P. E., & Ferreira, R. L. (2025). Oscillating in darkness: Circadian rhythms of cave-dwelling scorpions. Chronobiology International, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2025.2596773