Abstract
Data on habitat use and life history are essential for evaluation of the conservation status of species, and may direct policy for preservation of natural environments. Over the course of a year, we investigated populations of Hypsiboas curupi regarding (i) nighttime activity patterns; (ii) associations with climatic variables; (iii) the spatial distribution patterns of males and females with respect to microhabitat use; and (iv) variation in body size. The study was carried out from August 2010 to July 2011 in the Parque Estadual Fritz Plaumann, a seasonal deciduous forest fragment in the western region of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Calling activity was highest from August to November. The number of calling males was highest at 23h, and the frequency of occurrence was influenced by the air humidity. Calling males, non-calling males, and females differed in their distance from the bank and substrate type used. Females were significantly larger and heavier than males. Our results indicate that H. curupi is highly dependent on bank vegetation, and that changes in riparian vegetation structure due to human activity can result in the loss of sites for calling and oviposition, and may reduce availability of food and shelter. Keywords: life history, riparian forest, stream-dwelling amphibians, seasonal deciduous forest, microhabitat use.
Highlights
More than 40% of the world’s amphibian species are threatened by extinction (Pimm et al, 2014) primarily due to habitat loss and environmental degradation (Young et al, 2001; Blaustein and Kiesecker, 2002; Funk et al, 2003; Dixo et al, 2009; Verdade et al, 2010)
The H. curupi population in this study had an intermediate reproductive pattern, with activity mainly in the warmer months of the year (September to March) and diminishing in the colder months (April to June). This trait is typical of amphibian assemblages in southern Brazil (Both et al, 2008)
No significant correlations were observed among temperature, rainfall, and reproductive activity, we did detect a decrease in activity during the colder months; this pattern is supported by many studies showing positive influence of climatic variables on the reproductive activity of anurans (Guix, 1996; Pombal, 1997; Camargo et al, 2005; Conte and Rossa-Feres, 2007; Santos et al, 2007; Both et al, 2008; Vasconcelos et al, 2011; Bastiani and Lucas, 2013)
Summary
More than 40% of the world’s amphibian species are threatened by extinction (Pimm et al, 2014) primarily due to habitat loss and environmental degradation (Young et al, 2001; Blaustein and Kiesecker, 2002; Funk et al, 2003; Dixo et al, 2009; Verdade et al, 2010). Hypsiboas curupi populations in Brazil are categorized as “vulnerable” according to the Official List of Brazilian Species Fauna Threatened by Extinction (MMA, 2014), and “endangered” by the List of Species of Threatened Fauna of Santa Catarina State (CONSEMA, 2011). They are restricted to few isolated remnants of mixed ombrophile and seasonal deciduous forest in the Atlantic Forest Biome in southern Brazil (Lucas and Garcia, 2011), where stream habitats have been altered by habitat loss and water pollution (Bonai et al, 2009; Ternus et al, 2011). We (i) analyzed nighttime activity patterns of H. curupi; (ii) evaluated H. curupi associations with climatic variables; (iii) examined the spatial distribution patterns of males and females with respect to microhabitat use; and (iv) investigated variation in body size of H. curupi
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
