Structure of a Caatinga anuran assemblage in Northeastern Brazil

Edinaldo Leite Filho,Felipe Jardelino Eloi,Washington Luiz Da Silva Vieira,Gindomar Gomes Santana,Daniel Oliveira Mesquita

doi:10.4013/nbc.2015.102.02

Edinaldo Leite Filho, Felipe Jardelino Eloi + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.4013/nbc.2015.102.02

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Abstract

Based on data on diet and microhabitat use, we investigated the importance of current (ecological) and historical factors (phylogenetic) in the organization of an anuran assemblage in temporary ponds in a Caatinga area in Northeastern Brazil. The objective of this study was to verify how diet and microhabitat use influence the community structure, and their determinants. Niche breadth based on microhabitat use was relatively low for all species; thus, we also observed a spatial segregation between Hylidae and other families. The closely related species exhibit a more similar diet; the main prey categories used by Caatinga anurans were Coleoptera, insect larvae and Formicidae. The pseudo-community analysis based on diet and microhabitat use revealed that the observed niche overlap did not differ statistically from random, indicating a lack of detectable competition for these resources. The Canonical Phylogenetic Ordination (CPO) analyses revealed no significant phylogenetic effect on the assemblage, neither for diet nor for microhabitat use. Results suggest that predation and hydroperiod may be the most important factors in determining assemblage patterns, but more studies are needed to support this hypothesis. Keywords: community, Amphibia, ecological factors, historical factors.

Highlights

Assemblage structure can be defined as a non-randomized use of resources by coexisting individuals (Begon et al, 2007; Ricklefs, 2010; Ricklefs and Miller, 1999)
Vieira et al (2007) examined the spatial and temporal distribution of an anuran assemblage associated with temporary ponds in Cariri from Paraíba State, and noticed that environment heterogeneity and hydroperiod affect the assemblage dynamics, and Protázio et al (2015) has recently found historical influence on microhabitat use for hylids and Leptodactyliformes in temporary ponds in Caatinga, their results suggest that ecological factors such as competition are more apparent in anuran assemblages
In order to increase the knowledge about the amphibian ecology and natural history in the Caatinga, the objective of this study was to verify how the diet and microhabitat use influence the community structure, and their determinants

Summary

Introduction

Assemblage structure can be defined as a non-randomized use of resources by coexisting individuals (Begon et al, 2007; Ricklefs, 2010; Ricklefs and Miller, 1999). Vieira et al (2007) examined the spatial and temporal distribution of an anuran assemblage associated with temporary ponds in Cariri from Paraíba State, and noticed that environment heterogeneity and hydroperiod affect the assemblage dynamics, and Protázio et al (2015) has recently found historical influence on microhabitat use for hylids and Leptodactyliformes in temporary ponds in Caatinga, their results suggest that ecological factors such as competition are more apparent in anuran assemblages. In order to increase the knowledge about the amphibian ecology and natural history in the Caatinga, the objective of this study was to verify how the diet and microhabitat use influence the community structure, and their determinants. We test for Phylogenetic effects in anuran assemblage from the Cariri region, Paraíba State, Brazil

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