Herpetofaunal Assemblages Research Articles

Vertebrate microfossils from the Upper Freshwater Molasse in the Swiss Molasse Basin: Implications for the evolution of the North Alpine Foreland Basin during the Miocene Climate Optimum

Abstract The older part of the Upper Freshwater Molasse (OSM) in the Swiss and South German Molasse Basin records the extended warm period known as the Miocene Climate Optimum. However, dating and global correlation of fossils and palaeoclimatic data from OSM sediments remains challenging, because sections are often incomplete and biostratigraphic data sometimes ambiguous. Here we present the rare case of a fossiliferous OSM section that can be securely dated to the late Early Miocene and early Middle Miocene ( c . 16.1–15.7 Ma). Vertebrate microfossils have been recovered from three levels in superposition. Fish teeth document primary freshwater fishes (Cyprinidae, Channidae), but otoliths found in the middle level indicate dominance of euryhaline fishes (Cyprinodontiformes, Gobiiformes). The herpetofaunal assemblages largely consist of taxa that were widely distributed in Central Europe during the Miocene Climate Optimum and fragments of turtle eggshells assignable to the Oofamily Testudoolithidae Hirsch, 1996. The small-mammal fauna is dominated by the cricetid Megacricetodon bavaricus Fahlbusch, 1964. The fossil biota implies that the lowermost level (late Early Miocene, c . 16.1 Ma) represents a palaeo-soil that formed under humid conditions, while the levels above it (early Middle Miocene, c . 15.7–15.8 Ma) record a warm freshwater pond subject to evaporation (middle level), and mean annual temperature ≥ 17 °C in the vicinity of a river with an open hinterland (upper level). Our results, together with previous data, suggest that the palaeoclimate of the North Alpine Foreland Basin of Switzerland and Southwest Germany was humid during the late Early Miocene and earliest Middle Miocene, and that the Middle Miocene onset of seasonality and low mean annual precipitation occurred by c . 15.7–15.8 Ma. We conclude that global climate change and the 100-kyr orbital eccentricity minimum at 15.75 Ma may have triggered the decrease in humidity in the North Alpine Foreland Basin.

Climate and environments during Marine Isotope Stage 11 in the central Iberian Peninsula: the herpetofaunal assemblage from the Acheulean site of Áridos-1, Madrid

The interglacial episodes of the Quaternary Period are currently the focus of a great deal of attention within the scientific community, primarily because they can help us to understand how the climate of the current interglacial may have evolved without human intervention and to assess the impact of these climate changes on ecological systems. In the central Iberian Peninsula, the archaeological site of Áridos-1 (Arganda, Madrid), with numeric dates of 379.7 ± 45 ka obtained by AAR for the upper part of the sedimentological unit of Arganda I, in combination with the evolved state of the small mammals, has been chronologically attributed to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11. Given the diversified faunal assemblages delivered by the 1976 excavations, Áridos-1 is probably one of the best terrestrial candidates for an understanding of the climatic and environmental conditions that prevailed in central Spain during the MIS 11 interglacial. In consequence, the fossil amphibians and squamate reptiles stored in the collections of the Museo Arqueológico Nacional of Madrid have been newly described and quantified in order to apply the mutual climatic range and habitat weighting methods for estimating quantitative data. The Mediterranean climate is shown to have been warmer and wetter than today in central Spain during MIS 11, with the mean annual temperature 1.7 °C higher and mean annual precipitation 223.9 mm higher than at present. The monthly climatic reconstruction shows differences in the distribution of precipitation over the course of the year, with more abundant precipitation during the winter months, at the beginning of spring and at the end of fall (from October to March) and less precipitation than today during the summer months and at the end of spring (from May to August), suggesting stronger rainfall seasonality between winter and summer than currently occurs. Such climate reconstruction is consistent with other European MIS 11 paleoclimatic records. The paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on the herpetofaunal assemblage suggests a patchy landscape with a large representation of dry meadows, scrubland and rocky habitats together with well-evidenced aquatic habitats. Such open environments during a warm and humid forestal period are seen to be connected with the location of the site in a large river valley, where open vegetation would have been partly initiated and certainly maintained by the grazing, browsing, trampling and tree-felling activities of large mammals.

Summer herpetofaunal response to prescribed fire and herbicide in intensively managed, mid‐rotation pine stands in Mississippi

ABSTRACTManagers of commercial forests are increasingly expected to incorporate conservation of biodiversity in forest management plans, but a paucity of information exists regarding herpetofaunal responses to mid‐rotation release practices of dormant‐season prescribed fire and selective herbicide in intensively managed pine (Pinus spp.) stands. However, these management tools have demonstrated capabilities of improving conservation value in these forests in the southeastern United States. Therefore, we investigated summer herpetofaunal responses to factorial combinations of dormant‐season prescribed fire and a commonly used herbicide (imazapyr) with a randomized complete block design of 6 mid‐rotation pine stands with 4 experimental units in Mississippi, USA, to which we applied at random 1 of 4 treatments (i.e., burn only, herbicide only, burn + herbicide, control). We captured 814 reptiles and 3,699 amphibians of 17 and 16 species, respectively, using drift‐fence arrays during May and June, 1999–2007. Herpetofaunal assemblages only differed between burn + herbicide and control plots in 2002. Species‐specific responses were limited to differences across years within treatments and greater eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) relative abundance in burned or herbicide‐treated sites soon after treatment. Furthermore, herpetofaunal associations with measured environmental variables (e.g., vegetation structure and biomass and trap‐site characteristics) did not indicate that treatment influenced fluctuations in species relative abundances. Consistent with past studies, forest managers of commercial pine forests using dormant‐season prescribed fire with or without imazapyr will most likely have minimal additional effects on herpetofaunal assemblages, but current knowledge gaps require additional research to better understand mechanisms of species abundance and persistence in these landscapes. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.

Leaf-litter herpetofaunal richness, abundance, and community assembly in mono-dominant plantations and primary forest of northeastern Costa Rica

Given current deforestation and land-use change in species-rich tropical for- ests, a pressing need in conservation biology is to understand how converted, human- modified landscapes support biodiversity. Here, we measured the species richness, abun- dance, and community composition of amphibians and reptiles in reference primary forest and mono-dominant plantations of three native tree species (Pentaclethra macroloba, Virola koschnyi, Vochysia guatemalensis) at La Selva Biological Station in the Caribbean lowlands of northern Costa Rica. Because these plantation species generate markedly different forest-floor habitats, we hypothesized that tree species would support different assemblages of leaf-litter herpetofauna. Primary forest, Virola, and Vochysia supported greater richness of frogs than Pentaclethra. Frog densities were significantly lower in Pentaclethra and Vochysia than in nearby primary forest. Using non-metric multidimen- sional scaling and permutational multivariate analysis of variance, we found Pentaclethra to support significantly different assemblages of frogs and lizards than primary forest reference sites, while Vochysia supported a unique assemblage of frogs. Our results suggest that some tree species plantations can support herpetofaunal assemblages comparable to primary forest in richness, community assembly, and abundance. While herpetofaunal community ecology varies among plantation species, our study provides a compelling example of how plantation landscapes can facilitate the restoration of native fauna on degraded landscapes.

Amphibians and squamate reptiles from the late Miocene (Vallesian) of eastern Morocco (Guefaït-1, Jerada Province)

ABSTRACT The fossil amphibians and squamate reptiles from the late Miocene (Vallesian) of Guefaït-1 are described for the first time. The herpetofaunal assemblage is composed of Discoglossinae indet., Lacertidae indet., Dopasia sp. (Anguidae), Colubridae s. l. indet., and Naja cf. antiqua (Elapidae). This herpetofaunal assemblage is less diverse than the Moroccan herpetofauna from the middle and early late Miocene mainly because of the absence of Afro-tropical taxa, probably due to increasing aridity; likewise, it is less diverse than the Plio-Pleistocene herpetofauna, which was enriched by the entry of some European taxa during the Messinian Crisis. The presence of a discoglossine frog, different from all existing European and North African genera, in the late Miocene of Guefaït-1 suggests that the diversity of this group in the Miocene of North Africa may have been greater than previously thought. The occurrence of an anguid lizard of the genus Dopasia in the Miocene of Morocco is confirmed and may constitute the earliest record of the genus for Africa. The range of the cobra Naja antiqua, until now only known from the middle Miocene (Mellalesian) of Beni Mellal, Morocco, is extended; this constitutes the latest record of the species.

MIS 5/4 transition in a mountain environment: herpetofaunal assemblages from Cueva del Camino, central Spain

The Cueva del Camino site (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid, Spain) is located in the upper valley of the Lozoya River in the Sierra de Guadarrama, a mountain range extending NE−SW within the Central Range System. Due to its location within a mountain range on the central Iberian Peninsula at an altitude of 1114 m a.s.l. and the numerical dating of its sediments, the palaeontological site of Cueva del Camino has proved a highly relevant location for studying the ecological changes linked to the climatic fluctuations at the end of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 and the beginning of MIS 4. Environmental reconstructions suggest a rather open, patchy landscape throughout the succession, with abundant evidence of dry meadows, scrublands and rocky habitats. The climate can be considered as generally warm, reaching mean annual temperatures (MATs) of up to 13.8°C (i.e. higher than today's by up to 2.9°C). Three cooler events can be seen throughout the succession as reflected by the presence of Rana iberica, Anguis fragilis and Coronella austriaca. The first of these events may correlate with MIS 5b; the second in the Central sector may correlate with the Stadial I pollen event occurring at the end of MIS 5a; and the third event, corresponding to the coldest MAT of the entire succession with MATs 0.9°C lower than today's, may correspond to the transition from MIS 5a to MIS 4. The evolution of mean annual precipitation (MAP) is characterized by warm periods, drier and cold periods, as well as wetter periods (up to +356 mm compared to today's MAP values), similar to what occurs today in the high‐elevation areas of the neighbouring mountains. Our study gives new quantitative estimations for the climatic fluctuations in mountain environments of central Spain at the MIS 5/4 transition and their associated ecological changes.

Early Pleistocene palaeoenvironments at the time of the Homo antecessor settlement in the Gran Dolina cave (Atapuerca, Spain)

ABSTRACTHominin remains unearthed from level TD6‐2 of Gran Dolina have been dated to slightly more than 0.8 Ma. Owing to the importance of this discovery, every effort is being made to reconstruct the environment where these hominins once lived. In this paper, the mutual climatic range and habitat weighting methods are applied to the herpetofaunal assemblages in order to estimate climatic and environmental parameters. TD6‐2 is thus characterized by a warm and humid climate. Mean annual temperature is estimated at 2.1°C higher than at present in Burgos, with a greater increase in temperature during summer (+3.1°C) than during winter (+1.4°C). Rainfall was more abundant than at present (+407.2 mm), occurring as at present principally during spring and autumn. Humid meadows and riparian woody habitats were common. The association between warm climatic conditions and the not fully developed forest suggests that the several episodes of high‐intensity occupation in TD6‐2 may correspond to a recolonization by Homo antecessor of the high inland plateaus of the Iberian Peninsula from the Mediterranean seashore, using the Ebro valley as a savannah‐type corridor after a cold glacial period. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Investigating the Mid-Brunhes Event in the Spanish terrestrial sequence

Research Article| November 01, 2012 Investigating the Mid-Brunhes Event in the Spanish terrestrial sequence Hugues-Alexandre Blain; Hugues-Alexandre Blain * 1IPHES (Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social), c/ Escorxador s/n, 43003 Tarragona, Spain, and Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain *E-mails: hablain@iphes.cat; ilozano@iphes.cat; jmlopez@iphes.cat; aolle@iphes.cat; jordi.rosell@urv.cat; cuencag@unizar.es; jesus.rodriguez@cenieh.es. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gloria Cuenca-Bescós; Gloria Cuenca-Bescós * 2Área de Paleontología, Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain *E-mails: hablain@iphes.cat; ilozano@iphes.cat; jmlopez@iphes.cat; aolle@iphes.cat; jordi.rosell@urv.cat; cuencag@unizar.es; jesus.rodriguez@cenieh.es. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Iván Lozano-Fernández; Iván Lozano-Fernández * 1IPHES (Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social), c/ Escorxador s/n, 43003 Tarragona, Spain, and Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain *E-mails: hablain@iphes.cat; ilozano@iphes.cat; jmlopez@iphes.cat; aolle@iphes.cat; jordi.rosell@urv.cat; cuencag@unizar.es; jesus.rodriguez@cenieh.es. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Juan Manuel López-García; Juan Manuel López-García * 1IPHES (Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social), c/ Escorxador s/n, 43003 Tarragona, Spain, and Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain *E-mails: hablain@iphes.cat; ilozano@iphes.cat; jmlopez@iphes.cat; aolle@iphes.cat; jordi.rosell@urv.cat; cuencag@unizar.es; jesus.rodriguez@cenieh.es. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Andreu Ollé; Andreu Ollé * 1IPHES (Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social), c/ Escorxador s/n, 43003 Tarragona, Spain, and Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain *E-mails: hablain@iphes.cat; ilozano@iphes.cat; jmlopez@iphes.cat; aolle@iphes.cat; jordi.rosell@urv.cat; cuencag@unizar.es; jesus.rodriguez@cenieh.es. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jordi Rosell; Jordi Rosell * 1IPHES (Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social), c/ Escorxador s/n, 43003 Tarragona, Spain, and Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain *E-mails: hablain@iphes.cat; ilozano@iphes.cat; jmlopez@iphes.cat; aolle@iphes.cat; jordi.rosell@urv.cat; cuencag@unizar.es; jesus.rodriguez@cenieh.es. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jesus Rodríguez Jesus Rodríguez * 3CENIEH (Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana), Avenida de la Paz 28, 09004 Burgos, Spain *E-mails: hablain@iphes.cat; ilozano@iphes.cat; jmlopez@iphes.cat; aolle@iphes.cat; jordi.rosell@urv.cat; cuencag@unizar.es; jesus.rodriguez@cenieh.es. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2012) 40 (11): 1051–1054. https://doi.org/10.1130/G33427.1 Article history received: 19 Mar 2012 rev-recd: 12 May 2012 accepted: 16 May 2012 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Hugues-Alexandre Blain, Gloria Cuenca-Bescós, Iván Lozano-Fernández, Juan Manuel López-García, Andreu Ollé, Jordi Rosell, Jesus Rodríguez; Investigating the Mid-Brunhes Event in the Spanish terrestrial sequence. Geology 2012;; 40 (11): 1051–1054. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G33427.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract In the Mediterranean area, which is climatically stressed by limited water resources and extremes of heat, climate variations are known to play a crucial role in the ecosystems and environment. Investigating how climate has changed in the past may help us to understand how it may change in the future and its consequences on temperature and water resources. The Gran Dolina sequence (north-central Spain) provides a unique long paleontological and archaeological record spanning the Mid-Brunhes (ca. 450 ka) climatic transition. A fossil amphibian- and squamate-based reconstruction of temperature and precipitation shows marked peaks that have been related to various interglacial peaks in accordance with numeric dates and paleomagnetic and biochronological data. An analysis of climate and herpetofaunal assemblage changes during the interglacial periods reveals that (1) post-Mid-Brunhes Event (MBE) interglacials were warmer than pre-MBE interglacials, (2) pre-MBE interglacials were warmer than present day, and (3) there were lower levels of rainfall in post-MBE interglacials than in pre-MBE interglacials. The climate trend in the Mediterranean area was found to be congruous with global climate changes as reconstructed from ice and sea-surface temperature records over the past million years. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Terrestrial herpetofaunal assemblages in secondary forests and exotic Lophostemon confertus plantations in South China

Deforestation is one of the major causes of biodiversity loss. Globally, large areas of primary forest have been replaced by secondary forests and plantations, and changes in tree species composition have often led to alteration of plant and animal communities that were associated with those primary forests. Hong Kong has experienced a long history of deforestation and may be one of the pioneers in using exotic tree plantations for forest restoration in Asia. In this study, we sampled herpetofaunal assemblages in native, secondary forests and exotic Lophostemon confertus plantations by transect surveys, pitfall traps, and coverboards. Amphibians were more abundant in secondary forests than in plantations, while the abundance of reptiles and species compositions of both amphibians and reptiles were similar in both forest types. Body condition of the most common reptile, Sphenomorphus indicus (Indian forest skink), was similar between secondary forests and plantations. However, higher proportions of S. indicus exhibited autotomized or missing tails in secondary forests than in plantations, which may be related to higher percentages of rock and wood cover on the forest floor potentially increasing the chance of escape from predators in secondary forests. Secondary forests may provide a better habitat for herpetofauna, we suggest that planting of a mixture of native tree species and thinning of exotic trees may be favorable management efforts to enhance biodiversity in future plantation in South China.

Quantifying Disturbance in Terrestrial Communities: Abundance–Biomass Comparisons of Herpetofauna Closely Track Forest Succession

Herpetofauna are frequently cited as ideal indicators for environmental and restoration monitoring due to their importance to ecological functioning, dominance of vertebrate biomass, and sensitivity to environmental change. Despite this relevance, herpetofauna have yet to be fully integrated into comprehensive, community‐scale restoration monitoring methodologies. We tested the applicability of one such method, abundance–biomass comparisons (ABCs), to monitoring restoration success in a longleaf pine ecosystem currently undergoing restoration via prescribed burning. W statistics (a metric of environmental perturbation) for herpetofaunal assemblages in longleaf pine stands managed under varying fire intervals closely tracked forest succession from recently burned longleaf pine stands to those characterized by longer times since last burn and high levels of hardwood encroachment. Our results suggest that ABCs may be an applicable method for terrestrial restoration monitoring that encompasses entire faunal assemblages and allows for generality in restoration or disturbance response. We emphasize, however, that applications of this method and others need to take into account the specific ecological characteristics of study organisms and the natural history of study sites to avoid incorrect interpretations of disturbance response and inappropriate management recommendations.

Registros notables de reptiles para Guanajuato, México

Five new reptile records for the Mexican state of Guanajuato are reported: Lampropeltis triangulum dixoni, Leptodeira annulata cusiliris, Oxybelis aeneus, Tropidodipsas sartorii, and Scincella silvicola caudaequinae. These records are within western versant of the Sierra Gorda at Sierra Gorda de Guanajuato. Evidence is given that supports the idea that the area supports a herpetofaunal assemblage of tropical affinities.

Effects of Conversion of Dry Tropical Forest to Agricultural Mosaic on Herpetofaunal Assemblages

We explored the impact of forest conversion to agricultural mosaic on anuran, lizard, snake, and turtle assemblages of Neotropical dry forests. Over 2 years, we sampled 6 small watersheds on the west coast of Mexico, 3 conserved and 3 disturbed. The disturbed watersheds were characterized by a mosaic of pastures and cultivated fields (corn, beans, squash) intermingled with patches of different successional stages of dry forest. In each watershed, we conducted 11 diurnal and nocturnal time-constrained searches in 10 randomly established plots. We considered vulnerability traits of species in relation to habitat modification. Eighteen anuran, 18 lizard, 23 snake, and 3 turtle species were recorded. Thirty-six species (58%) occurred in both forest conditions, and 14 (22%) and 12 species (19%) occurred only in the conserved and disturbed sites, respectively. Assemblages responded differently to disturbance. Species richness, diversity, and abundance of lizards were higher in disturbed forests. Anuran diversity and species richness were lower in disturbed forest but abundance was similar in both forest conditions. Diversity, richness, and abundance of turtles were lower in disturbed forest. The structure and composition of snake assemblages did not differ between forest conditions. We considered species disturbance sensitive if their abundance was significantly less in disturbed areas. Four anuran (22%), 2 lizard (11%), and 3 turtle (100%) species were sensitive to disturbance. No snake species was sensitive. The decline in abundance of disturbance-sensitive species was associated with the reduction of forest canopy cover, woody stem cover, roots, and litter-layer ground cover. Anuran species with small body size and direct embryonic development were especially sensitive to forest disturbance. An important goal for the conservation of herpetofauna should be the determination of species traits associated with extinction or persistence in agricultural mosaics.

Effect of fire history and vegetation structure on herpetofauna in a South African grassland

Fire is a frequent feature of African grasslands and is commonly used in the management of conservation areas. We studied the herpetofaunal richness and composition of 10 sites to determine the effects of a 30-year fire management regime on the herpetofaunal assemblage in a reserve in South Africa. We trapped amphibians and reptiles during March and April 2004 at 10 sites with different fire histories. Sites of different post-fire ages were compared for differences in their species richness. We also measured the vegetation cover and vegetation height i.e. the vegetation structure at each of the sites surveyed. We found no significant effects of fire history on the species richness or composition of each site. Species composition at each site was better explained by post-fire age than by vegetation structure. There was a tight correlation between the vegetation cover of a site and its species richness, as well as a significant effect of vegetation structure on the similarity of the species found at each site. Vegetation structure appears to be the key factor affecting the structure of herpetofaunal assemblages in grasslands of South Africa, with fire and prescribed burning impacting on the assemblages via its effect on the vegetation.

A Study on Herpetofaunal Assemblages in the Rain Forests of Western Ghats, Karnataka, India

A Study on Herpetofaunal Assemblages in the Rain Forests of Western Ghats, Karnataka, India

Herpetofauna, Espora Hydroelectric Power Plant, state of Goiás, Brazil

We provide a checklist of the herpetofaunal assemblage from Espora Hydroelectric Power Plant region (UHE Espora), southwestern of the state of Goiás, Brazil. Representatives of 32 amphibian and 71 reptile species were obtained during faunal monitoring and faunal rescue programs carried out in the study area. The obtained species list and distribution records are here discussed in an attempt to improve the still limited knowledge on Cerrado herpetofaunal assemblages.

HERPETOFAUNAL DYNAMICS DURING SECONDARY SUCCESSION

Concepts of vertebrate succession in terrestrial habitats are based mainly on studies of birds and mammals. To provide a broader understanding of vertebrate succession and the organization of species assemblage, we studied the development of a herpetofaunal assemblage in a reforestation project. We sampled herpetofauna monthly between February 2001 and March 2002 and between June and September 2003 in a reforested limestone valley, and compared the composition and structure of the species assemblage in this valley with three reference sites and a deforested valley in a limestone region of Puerto Rico. In the reforested valley, the increase in vegetation heterogeneity and the decrease in microclimate variability facilitated herpetofaunal succession. Species richness increased rapidly from three to eleven species in 13 mo, with predatory species colonizing the reforested valley by the end of the study. The trophic structure changed more slowly with the density of individuals of (1) arboreal species increasi...

Conserving the Puerto Rican herpetofauna

With a total area of 8900 km2, Puerto Rico is the smallest of the Greater Antilles. It is divided in three physiographic regions or areas of relief: the mountainous interior, the karst region, and the coastal plains and valleys. The island comprises six ecological life zones: subtropical dry forest, subtropical moist forest, subtropical wet forest, subtropical rain forest, lower montane wet forest and lower montane rain forest. The herpetofauna of Puerto Rico consists of 25 species of amphibians (19 native, six introduced) and 56 species of reptiles (52 native, four introduced). The goal of this paper is to describe some of the present studies directed towards the conservation of Puerto Rican herpetofauna. Eleutherodactylus karlschmidti, E. jasperi and E. eneidae have not been seen or heard since 1976, 1981 and 1990, respectively, and are probably extinct. Since 2000, the potential causes of amphibian declines in Puerto Rico have been studied, and a synergistic interaction between climate change (increased dry periods) and disease (chytridiomycosis) have been proposed as an explanation for the patterns observed. Recovery efforts for Peltophryne lemur include a captive-breeding program, reintroductions island-wide educational outreach, protection and restoration of existing habitat, and the creation of new breeding ponds. Among reptiles, the first conservation efforts to protect Epicrates inornatus were limited to trying to halt collection and hunting. However, current strategies to preserve the boa include gathering basic biological information, habitat conservation, and educational outreach. Recent efforts for the conservation of Trachemys s. stejnegeri combine three research approaches to clarify the status of local populations: a mark-recapture-release study, field monitoring of reproductive activity (i. e., nocturnal patrolling to identify nesting activity), and field assessment of the potential impact of introduced species, particularly identification of predatory species and exotic turtles. Recovery initiatives for Cyclura stejnegeri include management of invasive mammals, a headstart program for hatchling iguanas, and the assessment of the etiology of a condition causing blindness in adult iguanas. A reforestation project aimed at recovering a local herpetofaunal assemblage after disturbances in a limestone valley in northern Puerto Rico is discussed. As population sizes of common colonizers such as Eleutherodactylus and Anolis increased, larger forest-interior and predatory species like Epicrates inornatus, Alsophis portoricensis and Anolis cuvieri followed. Finally, the Mona Island marine turtle monitoring program is discussed and compared to other similar programs in Puerto Rico. As these and other similar conservation efforts provide scientifically based management recommendations, we hope to succeed in conserving the diverse herpetofauna that characterizes Puerto Rico.

Ecogeography of the herpetofauna of a northern California watershed: linking species patterns to landscape processes

Ecosystems are rapidly being altered and destabilized on a global scale, threatening native biota and compromising vital services provided to human society. We need to better understand the processes that can undermine ecosystem integrity (resistance‐resilience) in order to devise strategies to ameliorate this trend. We used a herpetofaunal assemblage to first assess spatial patterns of biodiversity and then to discover the underlying landscape processes likely responsible for these patterns. Reptiles and amphibians are a phylogenetically diverse set of species with documented sensitivity to environmental perturbations. We examined ecogeographic patterns of these taxa in aquatic and riparian environments across the landscape mosaic of the Mattole River watershed of northern California, USA. We analyzed species distributions relative to three primary vegetation types (grassland, second‐growth forest, late‐seral forest) and two hydrologic regimes (perennial vs intermittent). We sought evidence for the processes behind these patterns by modeling animal distributions relative to multi‐scale compositional, structural, and physical attributes of the vegetation or hydrologic type. Total herpetofaunal diversity was higher along perennial streams, with reptile diversity higher in mixed grassland. Amphibian and reptile richness, and reptile evenness, varied significantly among the three vegetations. Evidence indicated that distinct assemblages were associated with each end of a seral continuum. Four amphibians were more abundant in late‐seral forest, while two amphibians and two reptiles were more abundant in second‐growth forest, or mixed grassland, or both. Two amphibians were more abundant along intermittent streams. Models for predicting reptile richness, or abundances of the two amphibian assemblages, indicated water temperature was the best predictor variable. Based on these results and the physiological limits of several sensitive species, we determined the primary processes influencing faunal assemblage patterns on this landscape have been vegetation changes resulting from the harvesting of late‐seral forests and the clearing of forest for pasture. Comparing past with present landscape mosaics indicated that these changes have transformed the dominant amphibian and reptile species assemblage from a mostly cold‐water and cool forest‐associated assemblage to one now dominated by warm‐water and mixed grassland/woodland species.

Herpetofaunal Richness and Community Structure of Offshore Islands of Sulawesi, Indonesia1

ABSTRACTWe examined the distribution and broad habitat associations of the herpetofauna on three offshore islands of southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. A total of 74 amphibian and reptile taxa were recorded, comprising 13 frogs, 29 lizards, 29 snakes, 1 freshwater turtle, and 1 crocodile. Of the total taxa, 38 percent were endemic to Sulawesi, 13 were new undescribed taxa. Range extensions were also recorded for one taxon previously not known from Sulawesi. Herpetofauna of these islands is largely derived from that of mainland Sulawesi, and as for Sulawesi generally, is depauperate compared with herpetofaunal assemblages in Borneo, Java, and Thailand. Taxon richness was much higher in minimally disturbed forest and forest habitats with only moderate disturbance levels than in highly modified or disturbed habitats, such as secondary forests, plantations, and villages. Disturbed habitats were characterized by widespread, habitat generalists and human commensals. Forests were characterized by endemic and habitat‐specialist taxa. Little discrimination of taxon composition or endemism was found between minimally and moderately disturbed forest habitats. These results reaffirm the need for more general biological survey and research in this region. Taxa most likely to be displaced by human impacts tend to be endemic taxa, for which there exists little or no ecological information. The similarity in the herpetofaunal community structure between habitats with minimal and moderate disturbance levels has important implications for our understanding of ecological resilience in tropical herpetofaunal communities.

Edaphically-biased distributions of amphibians and reptiles in a lowland tropical rainforest

I surveyed amphibians and reptiles in primary forest growing on two different soil types in northeastern Costa Rica to determine if animals showed edaphically-biased distribution patterns. Species composition of the herpetofaunal assemblage and the density of two of the four most abundant species in the sample differed significantly between soil types. There were no differences in multivariate habitat profiles between the two soil types, and species composition was not related to habitat characteristics. The density of one species (Dendrobates pumilio) was negatively related to leaf litter cover. The distribution of D. pumilio, a diet specialist, did not appear to be related to the distribution of arthropod prey items. While these data suggest that amphibian and reptile density varies between edaphically-differentiated forest types at this site, the mechanisms generating observed distribution patterns remain unclear.