Anurans of a remnant of Mixed Rainforest in southern Brazil

Ana Paula Potrich,Carlos Toffolo,Manuela Santos-Pereira,Noeli Zanella,João Paulo Soares,Thaís Ascoli-Morrete

doi:10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2020-1091

Abstract

Abstract: The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is one of the world’s most biodiverse biomes, with large numbers of endemic and threatened species. However, this biome has suffered extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation, with a drastic reduction of its original vegetation cover. The compilation of data on the occurrence patterns of anurans and their natural history is important for the development of effective conservation strategies. Here, we present the results of a survey of the anuran fauna of Parque Estadual do Papagaio Charão (PEPC) in Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil, providing information on species endemism, conservation status, and reproductive modes. We collected data on the local anurans between March 2018 and February 2019 using active searches and pitfall traps. We recorded 26 anuran species distributed in seven families, with eight different reproductive modes. The largest number of species (20) was found at the forest edge, followed by the interior of the forest and open area, each with 16 species. The most abundant species were Leptodactylus plaumanni (41.7% of records), Physalaemus cuvieri (27.1%), and P. carrizorum (16.5%). Greater species richness and abundance were recorded during the rainier months, while temperature influenced only the abundance of the anurans. Rhinella henseli, Rhinella icterica, Vitreorana uranoscopa, Aplastodiscus perviridis, Boana curupi, Boana leptolineata and Proceratophrys brauni are all endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Melanophryniscus devincenzii is classified as Endangered by the IUCN, and Proceratophrys bigibbosa as Near Threatened. Boana curupi is considered to be Endangered in Rio Grande do Sul state, and Vulnerable in Brazil, while V. uranoscopa is Near Threatened in Rio Grande do Sul. Our findings emphasize the importance of protected areas, such as the PEPC, for the maintenance of anuran populations and communities in the Mixed Rainforest formations of southern Brazil.

Highlights

The considerable biodiversity and endemism of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, combined with its extensive deforestation, has resulted in the extensive decimation of this biome, with only 11.7% of the original vegetation remaining (Ribeiro et al 2009)
Our study was conducted in the Parque Estadual do Papagaio Charão – PEPC (27o54’49” S, 52o48’52” W, 503 m a.s.l.), located in the municipality of Sarandi, in northern Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil, which is part of the Upper Uruguay physiogeographic region
We recorded 23.8% of the species known to occur in the Mixed Rainforest formation of the Atlantic Forest biome (Rossa-Feres et al 2017)

Summary

Introduction

The considerable biodiversity and endemism of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, combined with its extensive deforestation, has resulted in the extensive decimation of this biome, with only 11.7% of the original vegetation remaining (Ribeiro et al 2009). Ecological processes are altered in human-modified landscapes due to the progressive reduction in the size and quality of remnant areas of natural vegetation, which provokes changes in both biotic and abiotic factors, such as resource availability and temperature (Saunders et al 1991, Laurence 2008). Habitat fragmentation degrades these ecosystems continuously, reducing the occurrence of species, the richness of communities, and the dispersal of both fauna and flora (Haddad et al 2015). The principal factors contributing to this threat include the loss, degradation, and fragmentation of habitats, edge effects, and the influence of the surrounding matrix (Becker et al 2007, Almeida-Gomes & Rocha 2014, Schneider-Maunoury et al 2016, Pfeifer et al 2017, Ferrante et al 2017, Ribeiro et al 2018)

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Results

Conclusion