Anuran Conservation Research Articles

ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY OF ANURANS IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS OF LUDHIANA AND PANCHKULA

In the present study, abundance and diversity of anurans was recorded from residential areas of Ludhiana (Punjab) and Panchkula (Haryana) for 2021 and 2022. From both locations, three anuran species were recorded which included Duttaphrynus melanostictus, D. stomaticus and Hoplobatrachus tigerinus, belonged to order anura, families bufonidae and dicroglossidae. Among district Ludhiana, residential areas of village Barewal Dogran (4.90 individuals) showed maximum anuran abundance as compared to Sherpur (4.14 individuals) and Ladhowal (3.90 individuals). However, in Panchkula, village Maheshpur (4.87 individuals) showed the maximum abundance as compared to villages Railly (4.06 individuals) and Sector-26 Extension (4.32 individuals). Interestingly, 7.95% and 6.30% increase in anuran population was recorded from residential areas of district Ludhiana and Panchkula, respectively during 2022 as compared to previous year. Overall, residential areas of district Panchkula were recorded to be 2.32% more abundant as compared to district Ludhiana. Among three species, H. tigerinus was found to be heaviest in body weight (226.2-272.2 g), whereas D. melanostictus was lightest one (7.24-7.93 g). The mean body weight of D. melanostictus, D. stomaticus and H. tigerinus males and females recorded ranged from 7.24-7.93, 7.91-8.67 and 226.2-272.2 g, respectively. A positive correlation was found between anuran population with atmospheric temperature (ˆC), relative humidity (%) and rainfall (mm) r = (+0.28 to +0.91) among both districts. However, among all weather parameters, a strong correlation was found between anuran population and relative humidity (+0.82 to +0.91). This data may be used by researchers or researchers for the benefit of anuran conservation programmes.

Influence of fire regime on the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of frog communities in a fire-prone Brazilian ecosystem

Fire is a natural disturbance that has shaped Earth's biodiversity for millions of years. In a fire-prone ecosystems, fire acts as an important environmental filter, selecting species presenting tolerant traits to fire events and post-fire environmental conditions. It is expected that intense fire activity selects for closely-related species, thus promoting a phylogenetic and functional clustering of communities. In view of the severe changes in natural fire regimes observed in different regions of the planet, an increasing body of research has been dedicated to exploring their impact on frogs, a particularly susceptible group in the context of wildfires. However, it is notable that most of the research focuses on the traditional dimension of diversity, the taxonomic diversity, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of how fire disturbances affect the phylogenetic diversity of these communities. Here, we tested the effects of three fire regime parameters (i.e., total burned area, time since the last fire and fire count at the landscape scale) on the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of frog communities in 26 sites within a fire-prone Brazilian protected area. We used Hill numbers to characterize the taxonomic (Species richness, Shannon and Simpson's diversity) and phylogenetic diversity (Phylogenetic richness, Mean phylogenetic diversity of common lineages and Mean phylogenetic diversity of dominant lineages). We found that the fire regime did not explain patterns of the taxonomic diversity. Nonetheless, there was a positive correlation between phylogenetic richness and the frequency of fire occurrences, while a slight negative correlation was observed with the percentage of burned area. In addition, moderate fire activity seems to be an important driver of phylogenetic diversity. Therefore, management practices toward a mosaic of areas with different fire histories are fundamental in this protected area. We finally emphasize that all diversity facets of anurans should be assessed and considered in management decisions to guaranteeing anuran conservation in this region.

Global shortfalls of knowledge on anuran tadpoles

Despite the amount of data on different aspects of biodiversity, such as species distributions, taxonomy, or phylogenetics, there are still significant gaps and biases in the available information. This is particularly true for life history traits, with fragmentary data for most taxa, especially those with complex life cycles. Anurans (frogs and toads) show larval (premetamorphic) stages that are in general radically decoupled from adult forms in most biological aspects. Our understanding of this group is highly uneven, as the main wide-scope investigations focus on adult specimens and larval stages remain unknown for a significant part of the anuran tree. The main purpose of this work was to estimate the extent of knowledge gaps regarding the diversity of tadpoles, interpret their biological and geographical patterns, and discuss possible explanations and implications for other large-scale analyses. Our findings show that more than half of the anuran species described to date still lack information on their embryonic/larval stages. Furthermore, knowledge varies among taxonomic groups, larval ecomorphological guilds, and world ecoregions. Description percentages generally decrease in lineages with a higher proportion of species known or suspected to have endotrophic development. Also, geographic areas with the highest levels of ignorance in larval biology (Tropical Andes and New Guinea) coincide with the highest diversity of endotrophic guilds. Among exotrophic larvae, generalized lentic-lotic tadpoles have the widest distribution and levels of knowledge, whereas specialized lotic, fossorial, and terrestrial forms are more taxonomically and geographically restricted. Further large-scale analyses on tadpole biology are crucial for their impact in varied scientific disciplines including anuran conservation. At a conceptual level, the discussion of the anuran biphasic life cycle is pertinent in the context of shortfalls of biodiversity knowledge and their interrelationships.

Living in a changing world: effects of roads and Pinus monocultures on an anuran metacommunity in southern Brazil

The loss of species with unique traits and evolutionary histories resulting from anthropogenic land-use changes poses a risk to the maintenance of ecosystems. We investigated the influence of Pinus monocultures and roads on functional, phylogenetic, and taxonomic composition, as well as on functional dispersion of an anuran metacommunity in Brazil. We expected the influence of anthropogenic stressors to (1) vary according to the diversity component, with greater influence on the functional and phylogenetic components than on the taxonomic component; and (2) traits related to habitat exploration to be more influenced by monocultures, while the traits related to dispersal and physiological control to be influenced by roads and monocultures, especially for species with smaller body size and low dispersal potential. We found that, while the distance from ponds to monocultures influences the phylogenetic composition, distance to roads influences functional composition and dispersion. The anthropogenic stressors affect the structure of these communities, even those formed by generalist species in terms of habitat use. The phylogenetic composition shows that the distribution of evolutionary clades in human-modified areas is linked to the preferred habitat of species, while functional composition is related to body size. Furthermore, functional dispersion was higher in areas closer to roads, contrary to our expectations. Our results represent new evidence for the conservation of anurans in modified landscapes reinforcing the importance of including functional and phylogenetic information in conservation-driven studies.

Influence of landscape and connectivity on anuran conservation: population viability analyses to designate protected areas

AbstractThreatened species with restricted ranges are at risk from habitat fragmentation and loss, which amplifies genetic bottleneck and impacts of small changes to their environments. Ecological models including population viability analyses (PVAs) can predict the trajectory of populations in a way that is not invasive or detrimental to the study species. They can therefore be a vital tool in modeling populations for conservation purposes. Although habitat suitability models have been used in studies to suggest areas for protected area designation, PVAs are generally not used in this regard.Dryophytes suweonensisandDryophytes flaviventrisare two threatened treefrog species endemic to the Korean Peninsula. The two species face threats of habitat loss and degradation and predation by invasive species among others. We used an integrated modeling approach combining ecological niche, connectivity, and PVAs in Vortex to determine the likelihood of extinction of each species under baseline and protected area designation scenarios. Designation scenarios were simulated in Vortex through halting future reduction in carrying capacity (halting future degradation to sites through protected area status), reducing effects of catastrophes (mitigating the effects of drought), and reducing mortality rates (controlling invasive predator populations and ex situ raising of tadpoles to maturity). We classified the combination of these management efforts as “active management” as opposed to “no management,” which is currently being practiced. We additionally used a stepwise approach to determine designation priority of individual patches. Under current conditions (no management), the resulting effective metapopulations after 100 years were 167 ± 325 individuals with an 86.5% extinction probability forD. suweonensisand 165 ± 200 individuals with a 90.3% extinction probability forD. flaviventris. Under active management of all sites (93 sites covering 426.9 km2), the extinction probability was 0% for both species with significantly increased metapopulation sizes, 15 910 ± 2855 forD. suweonensis, and 4400 ± 874 forD. flaviventris. Determining designation priority can inform the regulatory bodies on which habitat to designate and whether active or passive management should be applied. Without intervention, these species will be likely to face imminent extinction. In addition to being useful for government‐imposed conservation management, our study can be followed by future studies as a methodology for prioritizing sites for protected area designation.

Histopathology of Endocrine Organs of Miranda's White-Lipped Frogs (Leptodactylus macrosternum) from Cultivated and Non-Cultivated Regions in Semi-Arid Northeastern Brazil

Endocrine disruption defines the influence of environmental contaminants on the control of behaviour, growth and reproduction of free-living species. Amphibians are considered as bioindicators of environmental balance in aquatic and terrestrial systems and of physiological and immunological sensitivity to environmental stressors. In the Caatinga Domain of northeastern Brazil, the Lower Jaguaribe River (LJR) region is outstanding for the conservation of anurans and has considerable species diversity. However, the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers is of increasing concern because of consequent risks to environmental, human and animal health. Miranda's white-lipped frogs (Leptodactylus macrosternum) are abundant and well-adapted in this region and, therefore, are considered to be a suitable bioindicator. The objective of this work was to evaluate the morphology of endocrine organs of this species for evidence of potential impacts of agrosystems. We found significantly smaller females and parathyroid cytolysis in frogs collected from cultivated areas, compared with those from non-cultivated regions. Interrenal degeneration was found in both sample populations. Chemical analysis detected pesticides and potentially toxic elements in tissues of Miranda's white-lipped frog tissues from the LJR region (data not shown). These findings suggest that the parathyroid gland acts as a biomarker of environmental toxicity in cultivated areas in the LJR region. In this study, the other examined endocrine organs did not show significant potential for use in biomonitoring the impact of toxic chemicals.

The Tadpoles of the Iron Quadrangle, Southeastern Brazil: A Baseline for Larval Knowledge and Anuran Conservation in a Diverse and Threatened Region

Knowledge of tadpole morphology and natural history is essential to understand and protect anuran diversity. We provide a regional taxonomic catalog of the tadpoles that occur in the Iron Quadrangle (IQ, Quadrilátero Ferrífero), a hotspot of amphibian diversity and highly threatened region in southeastern Brazil. Using a standardized methodology, free-living larvae of 67 species belonging to 25 genera and 11 families are described and illustrated, including photographs of most species in life, natural history notes, and taxonomic comments. Larvae of seven species and/or candidate species (viz., Fritziana aff. fissilis, Bokermannohyla gr. circumdata, Bokermannohyla aff. nanuzae, Pithecopus aff. rohdei, Scinax aff. machadoi, Scinax aff. perereca, and Scinax rogerioi) are described for the first time and compared to congeners. Most tadpoles of candidate species exhibited remarkable differences in morphology compared to closely related congeners, which could provide diagnostic characters for further formal descriptions. The observed material of many of the previously known tadpoles deviated from published descriptions, which might be useful in future taxonomic studies (e.g., providing characters for the taxonomic delimitation of either small-range species or widespread cryptic species complexes). Illustrated dichotomous and multi-access identification keys are presented, allowing most species to be readily identified using reliable characters. Considering the high-level threat and huge impacts on IQ's biodiversity and ecosystem services, particularly from mining, the results presented here provide an important foundation for research and conservation of anuran in this region. Finally, we stress that IQ harbors one of the most ecomorphologically diverse Brazilian tadpole assemblages.

Automated detection of frog calls and choruses by pulse repetition rate.

Anurans (frogs and toads) are among the most globally threatened taxonomic groups. Successful conservation of anurans will rely on improved data on the status and changes in local populations, particularly for rare and threatened species. Automated sensors, such as acoustic recorders, have the potential to provide such data by massively increasing the spatial and temporal scale of population sampling efforts. Analyzing such data sets will require robust and efficient tools that can automatically identify the presence of a species in audio recordings. Like bats and birds, many anuran species produce distinct vocalizations that can be captured by autonomous acoustic recorders and represent excellent candidates for automated recognition. However, in contrast to birds and bats, effective automated acoustic recognition tools for anurans are not yet widely available. An effective automated call‐recognition method for anurans must be robust to the challenges of real‐world field data and should not require extensive labeled data sets. We devised a vocalization identification tool that classifies anuran vocalizations in audio recordings based on their periodic structure: the repeat interval‐based bioacoustic identification tool (RIBBIT). We applied RIBBIT to field recordings to study the boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata) of temperate North American grasslands and the critically endangered variable harlequin frog (Atelopus varius) of tropical Central American rainforests. The tool accurately identified boreal chorus frogs, even when they vocalized in heavily overlapping choruses and identified variable harlequin frog vocalizations at a field site where it had been very rarely encountered in visual surveys. Using a few simple parameters, RIBBIT can detect any vocalization with a periodic structure, including those of many anurans, insects, birds, and mammals. We provide open‐source implementations of RIBBIT in Python and R to support its use for other taxa and communities.

The interplay between local and landscape scales on the density of pond‐dwelling anurans in subtropical grasslands

AbstractWe investigated the role of local and landscape environmental variables on anurans density classified as habitat specialists and generalists in grassland landscapes, known as South Brazilian grasslands (SBG). In this region, we surveyed 187 ponds distributed over 40 landscape sampling units. For each pond, 31 local environmental variables were measured. Each landscape sampling unit was embedded within a larger regional sampling unit with different landscape properties. For each landscape and regional sampling units, 16 landscape metrics were extracted from a land cover and use map. We recorded 35 species, eleven of which are specialists in the SBG. The specialists were affected by 11 local and 2 landscape environmental variables, while generalists were affected by 14 local and one landscape environmental variable. Thus, specialists and generalists presented different relationships with local and landscape variables, but in general local variables had a greater influence on the density of anurans than the landscape variables. However, the landscape indirectly influenced local variables because higher quality ponds were in landscapes with higher percentages of natural habitat. In conclusion, reproductive sites with higher local quality and located within landscapes with higher percentages of natural grasslands are essential to conserve anurans in this habitat. Effective conservation of such sites would benefit from further studies that assess effects of land use and biotic integrity of ponds, which can help to determine (a) the relative effects of local habitat quality of ponds and (b) the effectiveness of protecting ponds and their local surroundings for anuran conservation in SBG.Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.

Changes in the community structure of anurans in the Coastal plain forest, southeastern Brazil

AbstractIn this study, we analyzed how variations in species richness, composition and abundance of anurans in a community could be explained by temporal environmental factors such as temperature and precipitation and spatially between different vegetation types. The study was carried out in Vale Natural Reserve, state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, from June 2015 to October 2016. We sampled the anuran community in 21 plots of 250 m in length, with 10 m of width. We recorded a total of 326 individuals of anurans, corresponding to 23 species in six families. We concluded that the anurans community of the Vale Natural Reserve remained relatively stable throughout the seasons and along vegetation types in terms of richness but differed in composition and abundance. The anurans were more abundant in the rainy season, with precipitation being the most important factor for anuran density in the area. Anuran community composition varied among vegetation types due to differences in complexity and structure of each vegetation type. Our study showed that different factors were determinant for the variation in species abundance and composition in the area. Therefore, the conservation of fragments and their associated habitat and the monitoring of environmental changes is of fundamental importance in anuran conservation in the area.

Biogeographic tools help to assess the effectiveness of protected areas for the conservation of anurans in the Mantiqueira mountain range, Southeastern Brazil

Herein, we present the first comprehensive study of anurans biogeography and conservation in an important mountain chain of the Atlantic Forest bioregion (AF), the Mantiqueira Mountain Range (MMR). We use biotic element analyses to test biogeographical units previously established through a preliminary Parsimony Analysis of Endemicity based on the distribution of anuran species found on the MMR. Furthermore, we assess the actual status of species richness, endemism, weighted endemism, and discuss conservation strategies based on habitat loss, and protected areas (PA) representativeness for the Areas of Endemism and biotic elements (BEs) recovered. We found nine biogeographical units in MMR. Biodiversity metrics identified small patches of high biodiversity throughout MMR, including five that match with the BEs. All BEs recovered present a massive rate of habitat loss and four of them are poorly safeguarded in established protected areas. Our analysis enables linking the BEs of anurans to different areas topographically delimited along the MMR, probably due to the historical process related to climate shifts of the AF. We hypothesize that vicariant speciation should have been a strong driver of diversification in Anura. However, the current MMR protected area system is not safeguarding most of the areas of biogeographical relevance detected in our analyses. The results found here could be used to provide guidance to establish or review current protected areas delimitations, which demonstrate the inefficiency of the current PA system in safeguarding biodiversity. The ad hoc manner to establish protected areas is failing to preserve anuran biodiversity and therefore the evolutionary history of MMR. Although our results are focused solely on anurans, the biogeographical units found represent the biogeographic history of MMR and should be used as an objective and effective criteria to improve the conservation strategies and planning of protective areas.

Climate change and opposing spatial conservation priorities for anuran protection in the Brazilian hotspots

In conservation biogeography, the process of spatial conservation prioritization (SCP) aims to select areas that meet biodiversity targets at a minimum set coverage. Here, we propose a SCP scheme for the highly endemic and diverse anuran fauna of the Atlantic Forest (AF) and Cerrado (CER) South American hotspots under different climate change scenarios. Specifically, we make use of predicted anuran occurrences, built for baseline and future (2050 and 2070) time slices, and address biological and conservation metrics to identify potential priority regions for anuran conservation over time using the software MARXAN. Considering each time slice separately, the percentage area needed for total anuran representation varies at magnitudes of 9.8–10.66% for the AF and 6.4–8.8% for the CER. Pooling all time slices together in the selected conservation network, the identified spatial priorities account for 15.56% and 13.25% of the total AF and CER areas respectively. However, we identified opposing strategies for the anuran spatial conservation prioritization in the AF and CER over the different time periods; the increasing of priority cells across time considering the potential species redistribution under climate change in the AF, and the selection of fewer priority cells in the future than the identified for the baseline climate in the CER. The southeastern AF coast was identified as a priority area for amphibian conservation in this hotspot, as well as some other smaller areas in the northern and southern regions. Priority areas identified in the CER, although patchy distributed across the hotspot, are found in specific central-northern, western, and southeastern regions. The different conservation strategies identified in the present SCP emphasize the need for establishing different conservation efforts according to a sequential scheduling of priority areas that optimizes the long-term conservation goals.

Spatial variation in anuran richness, diversity, and abundance across montane wetland habitat in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.

The spatial distribution of species has long sparked interest among ecologists and biogeographers, increasingly so in studies of species responses to climate change. However, field studies on spatial patterns of distribution, useful to inform conservation actions at local scales, are still lacking for many regions, especially the tropics. We studied elevational trends and species‐area relationships among anurans in wetland habitats within Volcanoes National Park (VNP) in Rwanda, part of the biodiverse Albertine Rift region. In VNP, wetlands are key sites for anuran reproduction, and anurans are likely threatened by wetland desiccation which has occurred for the last few decades. Between 2012 and 2017, we sampled anuran communities in ten VNP wetlands located along an elevational gradient of c. 600 m (from 2,546 to 3,188 m a.s.l.) and found at least eight species, including at least two Albertine Rift Endemics. We show that species richness, diversity, and abundance likely decline with a decrease in wetland size and with an increase in elevation, though additional sampling (e.g., at night) might be needed to derive definite conclusions. Larger wetlands at lower elevations contained most species and individuals, which indicates the potential threat of wetland size reduction (through desiccation) for anuran conservation. However, we also found that wetlands differed in species composition and that some species (e.g., Sclerophrys kisoloensis) were likely restricted in distribution to only a few of the smaller wetlands—suggesting that the conservation of each individual wetland should be prioritized, regardless of size. We propose that all wetlands in VNP require additional conservation measures, which should be based on knowledge gathered through long‐term monitoring of anuran communities and research on drivers of wetland decline. Only such extended research will allow us to understand the response of anurans in VNP to threats such as climate change and wetland desiccation.

Differential and additive effects of natural biotic and anthropogenic noise on call properties of Odontophrynus americanus (Anura, Odontophryinidae): Implications for the conservation of anurans inhabiting noisy environments

Successful reproduction in most anurans is associated to acoustic communication and negative effects of auditory masking by natural biotic and anthropogenic noise are known in this group. However, the potential additive effect of both noise types has been scarcely studied. We examine in situ the acoustic variation of 135 males (n = 975 calls) of Odontophrynus americanus in areas from Central Argentina with (TN) and without traffic noise (N-TN) and in presence (Ch) or absence (N-Ch) of chorus. The effect of noise condition on four call properties (call duration [CD], intercall interval [ICI], pulse rate [PR] and dominant frequency [DF]) were analyzed using linear mixed models (LMM and GLMM). A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed to identify the acoustical properties that best accounted for variation among all possible noise conditions (N-TN/N-Ch; N-TN/Ch; TN/N-Ch and TN/Ch). PR and DF showed significant higher values in TN than N-TN sites while a significant increase in ICI and a decrease in DF were found in chorus situation. Analyzing combined effects, PR significantly increased in N-TN/N-Ch condition and decreased under TN/Ch. ICI was significantly higher in N-TN/N-Ch condition. PCA showed a separation of males calling in noisy condition mainly associated to higher values of DF and CD. The acoustic variation observed in noisy environments could have implications in the reproductive strategies of the individuals although new studies should be conducted to analyze the effect of this variation on the recognition and choice by females. Our outcomes highlight the importance of conducting in situ behavioral studies considering the additive effects of different environmental noise sources.

Landscape context is more important than wetland buffers for farmland amphibians

In regions with high rates of wetland loss, remnant wetlands and constructed ponds can provide important breeding habitat for amphibians. However, such wetlands are often embedded in a matrix of agricultural fields, potentially putting species within these wetlands at risk. One recommendation for conservation of amphibians in agriculture-dominated landscapes is to maintain a buffer of permanent vegetation around the wetland. However, it is not clear how wide wetland buffers must be to effectively conserve amphibians in agriculture-dominated landscapes or what vegetation types are suitable buffer vegetation. Furthermore, it is not clear whether wetland buffers produce similar—or better—conservation outcomes for amphibians than actions conducted at larger spatial extents. We addressed these questions using data from anuran (frog and toad) breeding call surveys in 36 wetlands in rural eastern Ontario, Canada. First, we tested for the effects of 49 different wetland buffer measurements on anuran richness, relative anuran abundance, and the abundance/probability of occurrence of individual species. These 49 measurements represented all combinations of seven different ways to measure the wetland buffer size and seven types of buffer vegetation. Wetland buffer size was measured as the minimum width of buffer vegetation contiguous with the wetland and proportion of the area within 5, 16, 30, 50, 120, or 300 m of the wetland containing buffer vegetation that was contiguous with the wetland. Then, to compare the strength of effect of wetland buffers versus landscape context on anurans, we compared the wetland buffer measurement with the strongest positive effect on each anuran response (from the previous analysis) to the effects of three landscape-scale variables: area of woodland; area of wetlands, streams, rivers, and lakes; and road density. We did not detect positive effects of wetland buffers on anuran richness or relative anuran abundance. This is because positive effects of wetland buffers on individual species were rare, i.e. positive effects were only supported for two of the six species with enough data to model individually: American toads (Anaxyrus americanus) and green frogs (Lithobates clamitans). Furthermore, we found that the landscape context had much stronger effects on relative anuran abundance than the wetland buffer, with effect sizes ranging from 4 (road density) to 14 (woodland cover) times that of the wetland buffer. These findings suggest that guidelines for anuran conservation in agricultural landscapes should generally focus on protection of terrestrial habitat at the landscape scale rather than on maintenance of wetland buffers.

Dietary assessment of five species of anuran tadpoles from northern Odisha, India

Anuran tadpoles are gregarious predators capable of differentiating food items among diverse types of prey via varied feeding and oral structures. Tadpoles were collected from different study sites in three districts of northern Odisha during three consecutive rainy seasons (from July–October of 2015–2017). After morphometric measurements (total length and body length), the stomach contents of 75 tadpoles belonging to five different anuran species (Duttaphrynus melanostictus, Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis, Fejervarya orissaensis, Polypedates maculatus and Microhyla ornata) belonging to four families namely Bufonidae, Dicroglossidae, Rhacophoridae and Microhylidae were examined. The food spectrum of tadpoles included mostly detritus, followed by phytoplankton (represented by 5 classes and 54 genera). Such studies contribute to the understanding of the natural diets of these anuran species that can assist in developing management strategies for them. Aquatic habitats must be conserved and maintained so that conservation of anurans can be ensured.

Nesting patterns among Neotropical species assemblages: can reserves in urban areas be failing to protect anurans?

Nestedness among species assemblages implies that sites of lower species richness are subsets of richer sites in a regional species pool. This nestedness is a reflection of a non-random process of species loss as a consequence of factors that promote the disaggregation of assemblages. The impoverishment of assemblage diversity is more often observed in fragmented landscapes. This non-random process has important implications for conservation. We recorded 95 species of anurans across 22 protected areas, of which 11 sites were in an urban matrix and 11 were in a non-urban matrix. We found that sites in the urban matrix had lower richness and high values of nestedness with no spatial autocorrelation among geographic distances and species composition. Thus, species were non-randomly distributed across the landscape and a nested pattern was documented from non-urban matrix sites to urban matrix sites. The impoverishment of assemblages toward the urban matrix sites may suggest that protected areas in an urban matrix are less suitable for anuran conservation than those in a non-urban matrix sites. Both the ecological revitalization of protected areas in urban matrix and protection of non-urban forested sites are needed for the conservation of Neotropical anurans.

Responses of anuran communities to rapid urban growth in Shanghai, China

Urbanization affects amphibian communities through habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation of habitat quality. The effects of these changes in habitat at different scales vary depending on the sensitivity of individual species. We assessed the breeding distribution of anurans along an urban–rural gradient in Shanghai, China, a region experiencing intensive urbanization. Our results showed that urban density had a significantly negative influence on the overall anuran abundance and diversity and that the responses of individual species to urbanization varied. Pond age was an overall predictor in models describing the responses of Pelophylax nigromaculatus, Fejervarya multistriata, and M. fissipes and total anuran abundance. The quality of habitat at a pond was also important, and the high abundance of Bufo gargarizans and Pelophylax plancyi was associated with ponds with aquatic vegetation coverage. Urban density showed strong negative effects on B. gargarizans, total anuran abundance, and species richness. The broad-scale landscape variables associated with forests, agricultural fields, and wetlands surrounding breeding ponds have been shown to affect anuran abundance and species richness. The response of individual species, total abundance, and species richness to urbanization reflected differences in their ecological requirements. We quantified the effects of urbanization on frogs in a rapidly urbanizing region, and our results demonstrated that both multi-spatial and temporal variables affect anurans in Shanghai. Our results emphasized the importance of anuran conservation planning in urbanized areas to preserve and/or restore terrestrial habitat and to improve connectivity between ponds and other wetlands.

Anurans of the municipality of Barão de Monte Alto, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil

Abstract: We present a list of the anuran amphibians from municipality of Barão de Monte Alto, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. This region is part of the remaining Atlantic Forest and the studied environments are represented by forest patches and open habitats. We recorded 29 anuran species, many of these typical and/or endemic to the Atlantic Forest. None of the species registered was considered under threat of extinction in state, national or international red-lists. It is worth noting, however, the presence of the tree frogs Dendropsophus pseudomeridianus, the first record of this species in the state of Minas Gerais, and D. bipunctatus, marking its expanded distribution in various locations of Minas Gerais. The present list examines zoogeography and conservation of anurans in the Brazilian southeast and broadens the knowledge of the anuran fauna in this region.

Diet of Tadpoles of Microhyla ornata (Dumeril and Bibron,1841) from a Freshwater System in Rosekandy Tea Estate, Cachar, Assam and Significance of Conservation of Aquatic Habitats

Anuran tadpoles are gregarious in nature and knowledge of food and feeding behavior of the tadpoles is very essential for their successful breeding and survival. Dramatic declines in amphibian populations have been noted since 1980 from all over the world and are thus perceived to be one of the most critical threats to global biodiversity. Microhyla ornata commonly known as Ornamented Pygmy Frog, belongs to Family- Microhylidae and is widespread species occurring throughout South Asian countries like Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka as well as in Japan. Considering the occurrence of tea plantation in the region and the presence of aquatic bodies in tea estates it is necessary to know the feeding habit of the anuran tadpoles and impact of unavailability of suitable food items which will affect the survival and completion of life cycle of the tadpoles. In the present study it was observed that Microhyla ornata tadpoles feed mainly on various algal (25 genera) and detrital material. Hence, it may be concluded that aquatic habitats must be conserved and maintained so that conservation of anurans can be ensured.