Identifying species that can serve as bioindicators of environmental quality is essential for monitoring the anthropogenic impact. Common and widespread species can be ideal bioindicators due to their abundance and easy monitoring, but a confirmation of their differential responses as a function of habitat perturbation is needed. Because amphibians are known as good bioindicators of environmental perturbation, we conducted this work to identify whether a common, generalist amphibian species, the Mesoamerican giant toad (Rhinella horribilis), could serve as a bioindicator of environmental degradation in a tropical forest. We sampled toads in two areas of tropical forest that differed in anthropogenic degradation (primary vs. secondary forest), establishing in each of these areas two sections of the same surface area but differing in substrate (grass vs. sand). We analyzed toad abundance, sex ratio, body length and condition, and the amount and distribution across the body of ectoparasites (ticks). We analyzed 59 toads that were infested with 503 ticks. Based on a multi-model inference approach, the results suggested that toads were more abundant and had lower body condition in the secondary than in the primary forest. In the secondary forest, females were proportionally less abundant than males. The tick loads responded to an interaction of the body area with either the forest type or the substrate, with increased occurrence of ticks in toads from secondary forests and from grass sections. The differences found between the primary and secondary forests in sex ratio, toad abundance, body condition, and tick load across body regions are consistent with previous studies in other less common species of amphibians and thus posit R. horribilis as a good bioindicator of anthropic disturbance in this tropical forest.
{"title":"The Mesoamerican giant toad (Rhinella horribilis) as bioindicator of vegetation degradation in a tropical forest","authors":"Carmen Duque Amado, Rodrigo Megía-Palma","doi":"10.11160/bah.273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11160/bah.273","url":null,"abstract":"Identifying species that can serve as bioindicators of environmental quality is essential for monitoring the anthropogenic impact. Common and widespread species can be ideal bioindicators due to their abundance and easy monitoring, but a confirmation of their differential responses as a function of habitat perturbation is needed. Because amphibians are known as good bioindicators of environmental perturbation, we conducted this work to identify whether a common, generalist amphibian species, the Mesoamerican giant toad (Rhinella horribilis), could serve as a bioindicator of environmental degradation in a tropical forest. We sampled toads in two areas of tropical forest that differed in anthropogenic degradation (primary vs. secondary forest), establishing in each of these areas two sections of the same surface area but differing in substrate (grass vs. sand). We analyzed toad abundance, sex ratio, body length and condition, and the amount and distribution across the body of ectoparasites (ticks). We analyzed 59 toads that were infested with 503 ticks. Based on a multi-model inference approach, the results suggested that toads were more abundant and had lower body condition in the secondary than in the primary forest. In the secondary forest, females were proportionally less abundant than males. The tick loads responded to an interaction of the body area with either the forest type or the substrate, with increased occurrence of ticks in toads from secondary forests and from grass sections. The differences found between the primary and secondary forests in sex ratio, toad abundance, body condition, and tick load across body regions are consistent with previous studies in other less common species of amphibians and thus posit R. horribilis as a good bioindicator of anthropic disturbance in this tropical forest.","PeriodicalId":53521,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Herpetology","volume":"2 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141354053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Matteo Riccardo Di Nicola, Federico Storniolo, Anna Cerullo, F. Faraone
Variation in animal colouration, which holds ecological and evolutionary significance, is evident in snakes, including the polytypic and highly polymorphic asp viper Vipera aspis. This species, currently acknowledged with four subspecies, features three of them (V. a. aspis, V. a. francisciredi and V. a. hugyi) within the Italian territory, each displaying distinct dorsal patterns. Analysing 143 georeferenced photos from personal surveys and citizen science, the present study explores transition areas between V. a. francisciredi and V. a. hugyi, revealing the coexistence of three dorsal pattern phenotypes (i.e. francisciredi, hugyi, and intermediate) across central-southern Italy. The outcome of the work reveals occurrences of francisciredi phenotypes considerably beyond the southern limit indicated in recent literature. Remarkably, intermediate phenotypes cover a significant portion of southern Italy, including Apulia (three records), Basilicata (six records) and Campania (three records) regions, and overlapping with both hugyi and francisciredi ranges. These findings suggest asymmetrical gene flow from northern to southern populations, resembling patterns observed in other reptiles. The intricate distribution of colour phenotypes underscores the necessity for molecular investigations to comprehend the genetic context and evolutionary history of V. aspis populations from central-southern Italy.
动物颜色的变化对生态和进化具有重要意义，这在蛇类中非常明显，包括多型和高度多态的蝰蛇 Vipera aspis。该物种目前被认为有四个亚种，其中三个亚种（V. a. aspis、V. a. francisciredi 和 V. a. hugyi）位于意大利境内，每个亚种都显示出独特的背纹。本研究通过分析 143 张来自个人调查和公民科学的地理参考照片，探索了 V. a. francisciredi 和 V. a. hugyi 之间的过渡区域，揭示了意大利中南部地区三种背纹表型（即 francisciredi、hugyi 和中间型）的共存情况。研究结果显示，弗朗西里德表型的出现大大超出了近期文献中指出的南部界限。值得注意的是，中间型表型覆盖了意大利南部的大部分地区，包括阿普利亚（3 条记录）、巴西利卡塔（6 条记录）和坎帕尼亚（3 条记录）地区，并与 hugyi 和 francisciredi 的分布范围重叠。这些发现表明，基因从北方向南方种群的流动并不对称，这与在其他爬行动物身上观察到的模式相似。颜色表型的分布错综复杂，这突出表明有必要进行分子研究，以了解意大利中南部 V. aspis 种群的遗传背景和进化历史。
{"title":"Barred, blotched or intermediate? A photographic-based survey on the spatial distribution of Vipera aspis phenotypes from central-southern Italy","authors":"Matteo Riccardo Di Nicola, Federico Storniolo, Anna Cerullo, F. Faraone","doi":"10.11160/bah.288","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11160/bah.288","url":null,"abstract":"Variation in animal colouration, which holds ecological and evolutionary significance, is evident in snakes, including the polytypic and highly polymorphic asp viper Vipera aspis. This species, currently acknowledged with four subspecies, features three of them (V. a. aspis, V. a. francisciredi and V. a. hugyi) within the Italian territory, each displaying distinct dorsal patterns. Analysing 143 georeferenced photos from personal surveys and citizen science, the present study explores transition areas between V. a. francisciredi and V. a. hugyi, revealing the coexistence of three dorsal pattern phenotypes (i.e. francisciredi, hugyi, and intermediate) across central-southern Italy. The outcome of the work reveals occurrences of francisciredi phenotypes considerably beyond the southern limit indicated in recent literature. Remarkably, intermediate phenotypes cover a significant portion of southern Italy, including Apulia (three records), Basilicata (six records) and Campania (three records) regions, and overlapping with both hugyi and francisciredi ranges. These findings suggest asymmetrical gene flow from northern to southern populations, resembling patterns observed in other reptiles. The intricate distribution of colour phenotypes underscores the necessity for molecular investigations to comprehend the genetic context and evolutionary history of V. aspis populations from central-southern Italy.","PeriodicalId":53521,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Herpetology","volume":"140 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141350913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amphibians are the most affected vertebrates by roadkill. Often, to minimise this problem mitigation barriers are installed. While two-side barriers effectiveness is well described in the literature, one-side barriers are poorly studied. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of one-side barriers installed by LIFE LINES project along the EM535 road in south-east Portugal. Two types of one-side barriers (one permanent and another temporary one made from tarp) were monitored through road surveys. For each barrier, the influence of interaction between the period (before and after the barrier installation) and road sector (control-no barrier, permanent or temporary barrier installed) on the number of amphibians was evaluated. The result showed that, contrary to the temporary barrier, the permanent one-side barrier appeared to be effective. Thus, the ineffectiveness of the temporary barrier may be related to (i) the tarp material that allows some amphibians to escape, (ii) the presence of vegetation that goes over the top of the barrier, or (iii) increased fence-end effects due to its short length. Even though less effective than two-side barriers, one-side barriers could be installed when there is budget limitation in conservation projects or if land use conflicts exist. Given that our study was the first to evaluate the effectiveness of one-side barriers, we discuss the potential constrains that may have affected our results.
两栖动物是受公路死亡影响最大的脊椎动物。为了尽量减少这一问题，通常会安装缓解屏障。文献中对双侧路障的效果进行了详细描述，但对单侧路障的研究却很少。本研究旨在评估 LIFE LINES 项目在葡萄牙东南部 EM535 公路沿线安装的单侧路障的效果。通过道路调查对两种类型的单侧路障（一种是永久性路障，另一种是用油布制作的临时性路障）进行了监测。针对每种隔离带，评估了时间段（隔离带安装前后）和路段（对照-无隔离带、安装永久或临时隔离带）之间的相互作用对两栖动物数量的影响。结果表明，与临时隔离栅相反，永久性单侧隔离栅似乎是有效的。因此，临时隔离栅效果不佳可能与以下因素有关：(i) 油布材料使一些两栖动物得以逃脱；(ii) 隔离栅顶部有植被覆盖；或 (iii) 隔离栅长度较短，增加了栅栏末端效应。尽管单面屏障的效果不如双面屏障，但在保护项目预算有限或存在土地使用冲突的情况下，也可以安装单面屏障。鉴于我们的研究是首次评估单侧屏障的有效性，我们将讨论可能影响我们研究结果的潜在限制因素。
{"title":"Reduction of amphibian roadkill by one-side barriers","authors":"João Rato, Paulo Sá-Sousa","doi":"10.11160/bah.283","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11160/bah.283","url":null,"abstract":"Amphibians are the most affected vertebrates by roadkill. Often, to minimise this problem mitigation barriers are installed. While two-side barriers effectiveness is well described in the literature, one-side barriers are poorly studied. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of one-side barriers installed by LIFE LINES project along the EM535 road in south-east Portugal. Two types of one-side barriers (one permanent and another temporary one made from tarp) were monitored through road surveys. For each barrier, the influence of interaction between the period (before and after the barrier installation) and road sector (control-no barrier, permanent or temporary barrier installed) on the number of amphibians was evaluated. The result showed that, contrary to the temporary barrier, the permanent one-side barrier appeared to be effective. Thus, the ineffectiveness of the temporary barrier may be related to (i) the tarp material that allows some amphibians to escape, (ii) the presence of vegetation that goes over the top of the barrier, or (iii) increased fence-end effects due to its short length. Even though less effective than two-side barriers, one-side barriers could be installed when there is budget limitation in conservation projects or if land use conflicts exist. Given that our study was the first to evaluate the effectiveness of one-side barriers, we discuss the potential constrains that may have affected our results.","PeriodicalId":53521,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Herpetology","volume":"66 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140736145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Global amphibian declines have the highest incidence in tropical regions, but most of the ecotoxicological data on amphibians is collected on temperate northern hemisphere anuran species. We tested the hypothesis that tropical anuran larvae (Epipedobates anthonyi) would be more sensitive to pesticides than a North American native species (Lithobates sphenocephalus). For 12 pesticides, 96-hr range-finding acute toxicity tests were conducted to determine if mortality occurred at environmentally relevant levels. Based on those studies, two substances were selected for additional time-to-event analyses in both species as well as median lethal concentration (LC50) calculations. Time-to-event results indicated that the two species appear to be roughly equivalent in their sensitivity to the two tested pesticides. Significant differences between species were not consistent across concentrations for either the insecticide terbufos or the herbicide pendimethalin. The utility of LC50 data was mixed with one LC50 providing an arbitrarily large standard error around the LC50 precluding informative comparisons across species. However, standard LC50 methods allowed data collection that continues to contribute to our understanding of the protectiveness of fish as surrogates for anuran larvae. While our data set is limited, it appears that testing temperate species would be protective for tropical species in ecological risk assessments. Our data also support the continued use of fish as surrogates for amphibian larvae as none of the species were more sensitive to the tested pesticides than rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), the standard sensitive fish species used for acute toxicity testing.
{"title":"Comparative acute toxicity of pesticides to tadpoles of a tropical anuran (Epipedobates anthonyi), a North American native anuran (Lithobates sphenocephalus) and a standard fish species","authors":"Scott Weir, Lennart Weltje","doi":"10.11160/bah.278","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11160/bah.278","url":null,"abstract":"Global amphibian declines have the highest incidence in tropical regions, but most of the ecotoxicological data on amphibians is collected on temperate northern hemisphere anuran species. We tested the hypothesis that tropical anuran larvae (Epipedobates anthonyi) would be more sensitive to pesticides than a North American native species (Lithobates sphenocephalus). For 12 pesticides, 96-hr range-finding acute toxicity tests were conducted to determine if mortality occurred at environmentally relevant levels. Based on those studies, two substances were selected for additional time-to-event analyses in both species as well as median lethal concentration (LC50) calculations. Time-to-event results indicated that the two species appear to be roughly equivalent in their sensitivity to the two tested pesticides. Significant differences between species were not consistent across concentrations for either the insecticide terbufos or the herbicide pendimethalin. The utility of LC50 data was mixed with one LC50 providing an arbitrarily large standard error around the LC50 precluding informative comparisons across species. However, standard LC50 methods allowed data collection that continues to contribute to our understanding of the protectiveness of fish as surrogates for anuran larvae. While our data set is limited, it appears that testing temperate species would be protective for tropical species in ecological risk assessments. Our data also support the continued use of fish as surrogates for amphibian larvae as none of the species were more sensitive to the tested pesticides than rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), the standard sensitive fish species used for acute toxicity testing.","PeriodicalId":53521,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Herpetology","volume":"11 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140450388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In ectothermic animals, heat seems to be a determining factor because it influences many vital activities such as locomotion, the ability to escape, feeding, and reproduction, among others. In aquatic environments, physical characteristics of water prevent small ectotherms from thermoregulating and therefore it is expected that their body temperature remains similar to water temperature. Throughout its distribution and annual cycle, the Pyrenean newt (Calotriton asper) is exposed to a wide range of water temperatures that affect its biological and ecological traits like the standard metabolic rate, oxygen consumption, activity period and growth pattern. This study analyses the relationship between the cloacal and water temperatures in a Pre-Pyrenean population of C. asper in two periods with well differentiated water temperatures (July and September). The aims are to establish if there are differences between sexes in cloacal temperature, whether reproductive activity modifies cloacal temperature, and to analyse the degree of thermoconformity of the species. The results indicate that cloacal temperature depends on the water temperature, corroborating the idea that C. asper is mainly a thermoconformer, as it corresponds to an aquatic ectotherm. However, the cloacal temperature of newts was slightly higher than water temperature. In individuals in amplexus, cloacal temperature was significantly higher than in specimens that are not in this mating position, and in July, females showed much greater dispersion in cloacal temperature than males, which is probably related to spawning behaviour.
{"title":"Is the Pyrenean newt (Calotriton asper) a thermoconformer? Cloacal and water temperature in two different thermal periods in a Pre-Pyrenean stream population","authors":"Albert Montori","doi":"10.11160/bah.274","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11160/bah.274","url":null,"abstract":"In ectothermic animals, heat seems to be a determining factor because it influences many vital activities such as locomotion, the ability to escape, feeding, and reproduction, among others. In aquatic environments, physical characteristics of water prevent small ectotherms from thermoregulating and therefore it is expected that their body temperature remains similar to water temperature. Throughout its distribution and annual cycle, the Pyrenean newt (Calotriton asper) is exposed to a wide range of water temperatures that affect its biological and ecological traits like the standard metabolic rate, oxygen consumption, activity period and growth pattern. This study analyses the relationship between the cloacal and water temperatures in a Pre-Pyrenean population of C. asper in two periods with well differentiated water temperatures (July and September). The aims are to establish if there are differences between sexes in cloacal temperature, whether reproductive activity modifies cloacal temperature, and to analyse the degree of thermoconformity of the species. The results indicate that cloacal temperature depends on the water temperature, corroborating the idea that C. asper is mainly a thermoconformer, as it corresponds to an aquatic ectotherm. However, the cloacal temperature of newts was slightly higher than water temperature. In individuals in amplexus, cloacal temperature was significantly higher than in specimens that are not in this mating position, and in July, females showed much greater dispersion in cloacal temperature than males, which is probably related to spawning behaviour.","PeriodicalId":53521,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Herpetology","volume":"1089 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140456580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vic F. Clement, Julia Edanackaparampil, Lisa Maria Schmitz, Rieke Schluckebier, Dennis Rödder
Weather conditions are important factors determining the activity, and consequently detection probability, of animals. Especially in ectotherms from temperate habitats, activity can vary strongly depending on weather. The sand lizard Lacerta agilis is a wide-ranging lizard that is often subject to environmental impact assessments due to its proximity to humans and prevalence as a candidate for compensatory measures according to the Flora and Fauna Habitat Directive of the European Union. Lacerta agilis has been studied extensively at certain edges of its distribution, but studies focusing on the core range have been rare. We use Bayesian models in order to identify the best explaining weather variables out of a large variety of available variables for a population of Lacerta agilis in western Germany. We furthermore depict their interactions with an easy-to-understand regression tree model. Sand lizards have shown to be more active during dry conditions with low windspeeds. They further are best found after sunny weather with temperatures around 20°C. Rainfall in the previous 24 hours also increases the detection probability. An unpruned regression tree reaffirms the results while giving concrete variable values and exploring how the values influence each other. Overall the method delivers a decision tree based on easy to obtain weather variables that allows for post- survey analysis and for determination of the best survey conditions.
{"title":"Weather related detection probability of Lacerta agilis LINNAEUS, 1758 within the core range in Western Germany","authors":"Vic F. Clement, Julia Edanackaparampil, Lisa Maria Schmitz, Rieke Schluckebier, Dennis Rödder","doi":"10.11160/bah.242","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11160/bah.242","url":null,"abstract":"Weather conditions are important factors determining the activity, and consequently detection probability, of animals. Especially in ectotherms from temperate habitats, activity can vary strongly depending on weather. The sand lizard Lacerta agilis is a wide-ranging lizard that is often subject to environmental impact assessments due to its proximity to humans and prevalence as a candidate for compensatory measures according to the Flora and Fauna Habitat Directive of the European Union. Lacerta agilis has been studied extensively at certain edges of its distribution, but studies focusing on the core range have been rare. We use Bayesian models in order to identify the best explaining weather variables out of a large variety of available variables for a population of Lacerta agilis in western Germany. We furthermore depict their interactions with an easy-to-understand regression tree model. Sand lizards have shown to be more active during dry conditions with low windspeeds. They further are best found after sunny weather with temperatures around 20°C. Rainfall in the previous 24 hours also increases the detection probability. An unpruned regression tree reaffirms the results while giving concrete variable values and exploring how the values influence each other. Overall the method delivers a decision tree based on easy to obtain weather variables that allows for post- survey analysis and for determination of the best survey conditions.","PeriodicalId":53521,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Herpetology","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72639266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Climate and socioeconomic factors are modifying fire regimes. In this scenario, some taxa such as amphibians may be increasingly vulnerable. However, knowledge concerning how amphibian species respond to wildfires is limited and information is puzzling, with studies reporting positive, negative or neutral responses. We examined amphibian species occurrence after a 1600-ha fire in a fire-active region located in the north-western Iberian Peninsula. This area is a biogeographical crossroad where Atlantic and Mediterranean amphibian species can coexist in the same ponds. We sampled 33 water points in native (mainly oak) and non-native (eucalyptus) forests. Water points were sampled in two different periods: just after the fire to report direct mortality (resistance to fire), and two years after the fire to evidence resilience. We examined the influence of forest type and fire occurrence on the number of amphibian species detected per point (species richness). Species richness per point varied both depending on forest type (i.e. higher richness in the native forest) and fire occurrence (i.e. more species at burnt points). The occurrence of Atlantic species did not change with fire at native forest points but declined in exotic forest points affected by fire. Mediterranean species richness was higher at native than exotic points, as the number of species increased in native burnt forests, benefiting from the open spaces cleared by the fire. This study identified the negative effect of eucalyptus plantations on amphibians and showed that the response of this taxon to fire is shaped by species-specific bioregion affinity.
{"title":"The resilience of amphibians to wildfire is habitat dependent","authors":"B. Chergui, C. Ayres, X. Santos","doi":"10.11160/bah.244","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11160/bah.244","url":null,"abstract":"Climate and socioeconomic factors are modifying fire regimes. In this scenario, some taxa such as amphibians may be increasingly vulnerable. However, knowledge concerning how amphibian species respond to wildfires is limited and information is puzzling, with studies reporting positive, negative or neutral responses. We examined amphibian species occurrence after a 1600-ha fire in a fire-active region located in the north-western Iberian Peninsula. This area is a biogeographical crossroad where Atlantic and Mediterranean amphibian species can coexist in the same ponds. We sampled 33 water points in native (mainly oak) and non-native (eucalyptus) forests. Water points were sampled in two different periods: just after the fire to report direct mortality (resistance to fire), and two years after the fire to evidence resilience. We examined the influence of forest type and fire occurrence on the number of amphibian species detected per point (species richness). Species richness per point varied both depending on forest type (i.e. higher richness in the native forest) and fire occurrence (i.e. more species at burnt points). The occurrence of Atlantic species did not change with fire at native forest points but declined in exotic forest points affected by fire. Mediterranean species richness was higher at native than exotic points, as the number of species increased in native burnt forests, benefiting from the open spaces cleared by the fire. This study identified the negative effect of eucalyptus plantations on amphibians and showed that the response of this taxon to fire is shaped by species-specific bioregion affinity.","PeriodicalId":53521,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Herpetology","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82608709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Studies of response learning of amphibians are scarce compared to other vertebrates. We conducted a simple experiment to evaluate response learning in a primitive anuran species, the common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) under an appetitive stimulus. We hypothesized that, despite the primitive character of the studied species, the animals would be able to rapidly associate a particular arm of a basic T-shaped experimental arena with the reward, and that the existing male parental care of the species would provide males greater cognitive abilities than females. The response obtained by 12 males and 13 females was statistically different than such expected by chance, suggesting a learning process. The sex of the animal, as well as the average time spent to select the correct choice, were key during the learning process. Contrary to expectations, females showed higher learning capacities than males, perhaps as a consequence of the elaborate mate selection process and the competition between females to access males in this group of amphibians. The obtained results indicate that a rapid learning capacity is highly conservative in the phylogeny, having evolved from early tetrapods to those existing today in reptiles, birds, and mammals.
{"title":"The common midwife toad, Alytes obstetricans, is able to learn a simple task under an appetitive stimulus","authors":"MÃriam Moreno-Orosa, J. Bosch","doi":"10.11160/bah.236","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11160/bah.236","url":null,"abstract":"Studies of response learning of amphibians are scarce compared to other vertebrates. We conducted a simple experiment to evaluate response learning in a primitive anuran species, the common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) under an appetitive stimulus. We hypothesized that, despite the primitive character of the studied species, the animals would be able to rapidly associate a particular arm of a basic T-shaped experimental arena with the reward, and that the existing male parental care of the species would provide males greater cognitive abilities than females. The response obtained by 12 males and 13 females was statistically different than such expected by chance, suggesting a learning process. The sex of the animal, as well as the average time spent to select the correct choice, were key during the learning process. Contrary to expectations, females showed higher learning capacities than males, perhaps as a consequence of the elaborate mate selection process and the competition between females to access males in this group of amphibians. The obtained results indicate that a rapid learning capacity is highly conservative in the phylogeny, having evolved from early tetrapods to those existing today in reptiles, birds, and mammals.","PeriodicalId":53521,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Herpetology","volume":"58 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87577180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This work presents an updated dichotomous key to all snake species of Europe, based on morphological, morphometric and distributional characters. It gathers data from both the last dichotomous keys concerning European snake species and every following paper giving updates on taxonomic classification or the occurrence of new allochthonous species. The key includes 58 snake taxa, including 57species and one still unnamed taxon, distributed on the European territory, and photographic material for each species. The aim of this paper is to make the identification of all European snake species through a single manuscript more accessible, not only for researchers, but also for citizen science, thus enhancing data collection and assist species conservation.
{"title":"An updated dichotomous key to the snakes of Europe","authors":"M. D. Di Nicola, F. Faraone, Thomas Zabbia","doi":"10.11160/bah.238","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11160/bah.238","url":null,"abstract":"This work presents an updated dichotomous key to all snake species of Europe, based on morphological, morphometric and distributional characters. It gathers data from both the last dichotomous keys concerning European snake species and every following paper giving updates on taxonomic classification or the occurrence of new allochthonous species. The key includes 58 snake taxa, including 57species and one still unnamed taxon, distributed on the European territory, and photographic material for each species. The aim of this paper is to make the identification of all European snake species through a single manuscript more accessible, not only for researchers, but also for citizen science, thus enhancing data collection and assist species conservation.","PeriodicalId":53521,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Herpetology","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77922653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：