Abstract
We carried out a study on the anurofaunal community from an Atlantic Forest fragment (Monte Verde mountains) and the surrounding area in Cambuci municipality, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, which constitutes one of the largest fragments remaining in the largely deforested landscape of the northern portion of the State. We combined three sampling methods: plot sampling, transects and pit-fall traps. We recorded twenty species of amphibians, of which only eleven were found within the forest fragment (and five of these also occurred in the surrounding matrix). Two of the species recorded in the present study (Crossodactylus sp. and Ischnocnema cf. parva) may represent undescribed taxa. Our records expand the distribution range of one species (Scinax trapicheiroi) to the north, and fill a geographic distribution gap for another one (Ischnocnema oea). The estimated overall density of frogs living in the leaf litter of the fragment (based on results of plot sampling) was 3.1 individuals/100 m², with Haddadus binotatus being the most abundant species (2.4 individuals/100 m²). Comparisons of our data with those of other studies suggest that anuran communities in forest fragments ca. 1,000 ha or smaller may be severely limited in their richness, and often include a large proportion of species tolerant to open areas, such as many hylids. Our results show the importance of increasing knowledge about the anurofaunal community of the northern portion of the State of Rio de Janeiro and preserve the forest remnants that still exist in the region.
Highlights
We carried out a study on the anurofaunal community from an Atlantic Forest fragment (Monte Verde mountains) and the surrounding area in Cambuci municipality, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, which constitutes one of the largest fragments remaining in the largely deforested landscape of the northern portion of the State
Understanding the effects of forest fragmentation on amphibian community distributions are essential for conservation practices, as those animals are often severely affected by changes in the landscape (e.g. Blaustein et al, 1994; Silva et al, 2003; Pineda and Halffter, 2004)
For estimates of litter frog density we considered only the data obtained by large plot sampling, as this method has been the most frequently used in tropical forests worldwide (e.g. Allmon, 1991; Vonesh, 2001; Watanabe et al, 2005)
Summary
We carried out a study on the anurofaunal community from an Atlantic Forest fragment (Monte Verde mountains) and the surrounding area in Cambuci municipality, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, which constitutes one of the largest fragments remaining in the largely deforested landscape of the northern portion of the State. Amphibian declines are reported in several regions of the world and several factors are pointed as responsible for this process, such as habitat loss and fragmentation, contamination of water and soil by chemical pollutants, climate change, pathogens, and introductions of exotic species (Blaustein et al, 1994; Alford and Richards, 1999; Lips et al, 2005; Hamer and McDonnel, 2008; Laurance, 2008) These declines increase the importance of studies that provide support for amphibian conservation, especially in areas without previous knowledge of the local anurofauna (Rocha et al, 2003; Diniz-Filho et al, 2004). Some negative responses to habitat fragmentation that have been reported for amphibians include decreased diversity and abundance, changes in community composition, edge avoidance and reduced reproductive success (Marsh and Pearman, 1997; Gascon et al, 1999; Schlaepfer and Gavin, 2001; Funk and Mills, 2003; Neckel‐Oliveira, 2004; Pineda and Halffter, 2004)
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