Storm surge impacts on a coastal lizard community: a case study on how climate change may affect endemic species
Climate change threatens many species, and Aotearoa | New Zealand’s lizards may be particularly vulnerable due to their limited dispersal ability and exacerbating threats such as invasive predators. In April 2020, a storm surge on the Wellington south coast inundated habitats occupied by northern grass skinks (Oligosoma polychroma) and Raukawa geckos (Woodworthia maculata). We compared pre-and post-inundation abundance, body size, and spatial distribution at inundated and unaffected sites. Inundation did not significantly affect the relative abundance of either species.