The population decline of Atelopus quimbaya (Anura: Bufonidae) in the Andes of Colombia

Gómez-Hoyos, Diego A.; Cardona, William; González-Durán, Gustavo A.; Flechas, Sandra V.; Kattan, Gustavo H.; Velasco, Julián A.

doi:10.22201/fc.25942158e.2018.1.11

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…During a similar timeframe, numerous species of Atelopus also disappeared from the Andes ( La Marca et al, 2005 ; Lötters et al, 2023 ). The possible causes linked to the population declines and disappearance of Atelopus point mostly to two non-exclusive hypothetical causes: unusual changes in climate and the spread of amphibian skin fungus, caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ( Berger et al, 1998 ; La Marca et al, 2005 ; Rohr et al, 2008 ; McCaffery, Richards-Zawacki & Lips, 2015 ; Gómez-Hoyos et al, 2018 ; Scheele et al, 2020 ). In the case of A. ignescens , the evidence shows that a year before its disappearance the climate was unusually warm and dry ( Ron et al, 2003 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Path for recovery: an ecological overview of the Jambato Harlequin Toad (Bufonidae: Atelopus ignescens) in its last known locality, Angamarca Valley, Ecuador

Vega-Yánez,

Quezada-Riera,

Rios-Touma

et al. 2024

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Jambato Harlequin toad (Atelopus ignescens), a formerly abundant species in the Andes of Ecuador, faced a dramatic population decline in the 1980s, with its last recorded sighting in 1988. The species was considered Extinct by the IUCN until 2016, when a fortuitous discovery of one Jambato by a local boy reignited hope. In this study, we present findings from an investigation conducted in the Angamarca parish, focusing on distribution, abundance, habitat preferences, ecology, disease susceptibility, and dietary habits of the species. In one year we identified 71 individuals at different stages of development in various habitats, with a significant presence in agricultural mosaic areas and locations near water sources used for crop irrigation, demonstrating the persistence of the species in a complex landscape, with considerable human intervention. The dietary analysis based on fecal samples indicated a diverse prey selection, primarily comprising arthropods such as Acari, Coleoptera, and ants. Amphibian declines have been associated with diseases and climate change; notably, our study confirmed the presence of the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), but, surprisingly, none of the infected Jambatos displayed visible signs of illness. When analyzing climatic patterns, we found that there are climatic differences between historical localities and Angamarca; the temporal analysis also exposes a generalized warming trend. Finally, in collaboration with the local community, we developed a series of management recommendations for terrestrial and aquatic environments occupied by the Jambato.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Path for recovery: an ecological overview of the Jambato Harlequin Toad (Bufonidae: Atelopus ignescens) in its last known locality, Angamarca Valley, Ecuador

Vega-Yánez,

Quezada-Riera,

Rios-Touma

et al. 2024

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Producción científica sobre la herpetología en Colombia: perspectivas desde los temas de investigación hacia la conservación biológica

Urbina-Cardona,

Saboyá Acosta‬,

Camacho-Rozo

et al. 2022

Caldasia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

La herpetología colombiana tiene más de 200 años de investigación, pero hasta el momento no se han sistematizado los documentos que conforman el estado del arte de esta disciplina. A partir de una revisión sistemática de literatura entre 1741 y 2020, encontramos 2199 documentos, de los cuales el 70,3 % se ha publicado desde el año 2000. De las 394 revistas científicas, las que han realizado mayores contribuciones son la Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, la Revista Caldasia, el Catálogo de Anfibios y Reptiles de Colombia y Zootaxa. La mayoría de las publicaciones contribuyen al conocimiento en historia natural, distribución geográfica, sistemática y taxonomía, principalmente en Anura y Squamata. Son necesarios más estudios en ecología y conservación de grupos como las cecilias y las salamandras. Resaltamos la necesidad de fortalecer los listados taxonómicos locales con análisis cuantitativos de ecología de comunidades, y los estudios de conservación con estudios poblacionales a largo plazo. Es urgente recopilar datos de distribución geográfica para proyectar modelos que evalúen periódicamente el riesgo de extinción de las especies, determinar su representatividad en áreas protegidas y priorizar redes de áreas de conservación. Se requiere incrementar estudios en etnobiología y educación ambiental para cambiar las percepciones negativas de las personas hacia la herpetofauna y generar apropiación en las comunidades locales mediante iniciativas de conservación del hábitat. Así mismo es esencial consolidar investigación sobre los sistemas de gobernanza para generar una apropiación del conocimiento científico dentro de los procesos de toma de decisiones.

show abstract

The amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency

Lötters,

Plewnia,

Catenazzi

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anthropogenic biodiversity loss is extreme in amphibians. Despite ongoing conservation action, it is difficult to determine where we stand in overcoming their extinction crisis 1,2. Extinction risk is not equally distributed across amphibians 3-5. Among the most threatened amphibians are the 131 Neotropical harlequin toads (Atelopus), many of which dramatically declined since the late 1980s with several considered possibly extinct 5,6. Recently, more than 30 species have been rediscovered7, raising hope for a reversing trend in the amphibian extinction crisis. We use harlequin toads, for which comprehensive past and present population status, threat and conservation action data are available, as a model for examining whether the amphibian extinction crisis is still in a state of emergency. We show that since 2004 no species has improved its population status, suggesting that the conservation community has not yet bent the curve. Threats such as pathogen spread and habitat change persist unabated; additionally, climate change is expected to be a future threat. More on-the-ground mitigation strategies need implementation, especially habitat protection and disease management, combined with captive conservation breeding. With harlequin toads serving as a model for amphibians with high extinction risk, it is clear that the amphibian extinction crisis is still underway.

show abstract

The population decline of Atelopus quimbaya (Anura: Bufonidae) in the Andes of Colombia

Cited by 4 publications

References 15 publications

Path for recovery: an ecological overview of the Jambato Harlequin Toad (Bufonidae: Atelopus ignescens) in its last known locality, Angamarca Valley, Ecuador

Path for recovery: an ecological overview of the Jambato Harlequin Toad (Bufonidae: Atelopus ignescens) in its last known locality, Angamarca Valley, Ecuador

Producción científica sobre la herpetología en Colombia: perspectivas desde los temas de investigación hacia la conservación biológica

The amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About