Amphibian Diversity and Threatened Species in a Severely Transformed Neotropical Region in Mexico

Abstract

Many regions around the world concentrate a large number of highly endangered species that have very restricted distributions. The mountainous region of central Veracruz, Mexico, is considered a priority area for amphibian conservation because of its high level of endemism and the number of threatened species. The original tropical montane cloud forest in the region has been dramatically reduced and fragmented and is now mainly confined to ravines and hillsides. We evaluated the current situation of amphibian diversity in the cloud forest fragments of this region by analyzing species richness and abundance, comparing assemblage structure and species composition, examining the distribution and abundance of threatened species, and identifying the local and landscape variables associated with the observed amphibian diversity. From June to October 2012 we sampled ten forest fragments, investing 944 person-hours of sampling effort. A total of 895 amphibians belonging to 16 species were recorded. Notable differences in species richness, abundance, and assemblage structure between forest fragments were observed. Species composition between pairs of fragments differed by an average of 53%, with the majority (58%) resulting from species replacement and the rest (42%) explained by differences in species richness. Half of the species detected are under threat of extinction according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and although their distribution and abundance varied markedly, there were also ubiquitous and abundant species, along with rare species of restricted distribution. The evident heterogeneity of the ten study sites indicates that to conserve amphibians in a mountainous region such as this one it is necessary to protect groups of fragments which represent the variability of the system. Both individually and together cloud forest fragments are very important to conservation because each remnant is inhabited by several threatened species, some of them at imminent risk of extinction.

Herpetofauna inside and outside from a natural protected area: the case of Reserva Estatal de la Biósfera Sierra San Juan, Nayarit, Mexico

“…Species of this genus are associated with temperate environments, such as pine forest and pine-oak forest, which were dominant in this area of the reserve (Meza-Parral and Pineda 2015). This pattern is promoted by the vegetation cover of the area, as shown in other studies (UrbinaCardona et al 2006, Cruz-Elizalde et al 2016.…”

Short Communication: Investigation of Diphtheria in Indonesia: dtxR and tox genes analysis of Corynebacterium diphtheriae collected from outbreaks

“…Settling Pond 1 was the location with the highest dominance index value for the amphibian species, whereas the fragmented forests were the location with the highest dominance index value for the reptile species. Fragment size is also linked to elevation, so that species richness tends to decrease in fragments of a given size that are located at a higher elevation, compared to those of the same size but at a lower elevation (Meza and Pineda 2015) Furthermore, the locations with the dominance index values were categorized into two areas namely the wet and dry areas.The categorization was based on the distance from the herpetofauna discovery location to the water source. This was done to see the microhabitat for the dominant species in those respective areas.…”

Herpetofauna Diversity and Taxa Richness Ground Cover Plant as Bioindicator Environmental Quality in Boon Pring Recreation sites at Sanankerto, Turen, Malang Regency

“…It is because ground cover plants are pioneer organisms that will form microhabitats for animals and plants with habitus above them. Their essential role which is to raise nitrogen binding in the soil becomes the main underlying factor to decide that ground cover plants can be used as bioindicator [3].…”