Claudia

Abstract

The present study had the objective to determine how richness and relative abundance of anurans in the Cotapata National Park and Natural Area of Integrated Management (PNANMI-Cotapata) varies in an altitudinal gradient (five ecoregions). The results contribute with 20 new records for the protected area, increasing the richness of the Park up to 27 species (976 hours/man), of which four are new records for the country, eight are endemic, and 21 are included in some threat category (UICN 2004). An increment of the richness while descending along the altitudinal gradient was observed (two species in the sub nival, three in the high Andes, six in the parame, seven in the cloud forest and 17 in montane Yungas forest). This could be due to different factors, among those most important to amphibians are temperature and humidity, which vary even at short distances, similar to what happens along latitudinal gradients. On the contrary, there is an increase in relative abundance when ascending on the elevation gradient, probably due to a higher availability of macro and micro environments.