Meeting Abstract

P2.16  Monday, Jan. 5  Ecotones as biodiversity hotspots for high-Andean anurans CATENAZZI, A*; LEHR, E; University of California, Berkeley; Staatliche Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden acatenazzi@gmail.com

Amphibians are declining worldwide, with some authors suggesting that mass extinctions have occurred over the past two decades and will continue into the future. Andean anurans are among the hardest hit by declines, with habitat destruction/fragmentation, infection by chytrid fungus, climate change, and an interaction of these factors as the most likely causes of declines. Conservation efforts should favor the protection of habitats most likely to support amphibian species and of areas with wide elevational ranges, which would allow for upward species migration in places where average temperatures increase. High-Andean amphibian communities are rich in endemic species which often have very limited distributions, yet they are vastly understudied. Gaining a better understanding of the factors that influence local and regional species richness will improve our capacity to select priority areas for amphibian conservation in the Andes. In this study, we explored the hypothesis that ecotones between forest and grassland habitats are biodiversity hotspots for high-elevation anurans in southern Peru. Our analysis was based on data collected from over 100 leaf-litter quadrats, which were sampled between 3,000 and 3,700 m. Despite a general trend towards decreasing species richness as a function of elevation, the forest-grassland ecotone had significantly higher frog density and biomass when compared to forest or grassland habitats alone. In addition, a number of newly discovered species were all collected in ecotonal habitats or forest habitats adjacent to ecotones. The results of our study suggest that forest-grassland ecotonal habitats are biodiversity hotspots for anuran species in the Andes, and that these habitats should be considered as target areas for amphibian conservation.