Abstract
The fragmentation of the Atlantic Forest is one of the main causes of habitat loss in this important global biodiversity hotspot. Amphibians are an integral part of this biodiversity and are the most threatened group of vertebrates on the planet, with some species declining mainly due to habitat loss; therefore, they are an important parameter to understand the effects of fragmentation. One of the least known aspects of this process is how the surrounding matrix fragments influence frog diversity and gene flow among these forest remnants. Moreover, few studies have analyzed genetic variability of populations. Frogs are key targets for such studies because of their role as bioindicators. This study aimed to determine whether a matrix with predominance of coffee plantations, sugar plantations or pasture influence the genetic diversity of Rhinella ornata estimated by analyzing the D-loop region of mitochondrial DNA. The results showed that not all tested matrices restricted genetic diversity of this toad, which showed little tendency for population structure even between the most distant fragments tested 39 (102 km).
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