Riparian amphibians in two tropical ecosystems of southeastern Mexico

Abstract

Ríos-Rodas, L., Zenteno-Ruíz, C.E., Pérez-De la Cruz, M., Arriaga-Weiss, S.L., Jiménez-Pérez, N.C., Bustos-Zagal, M.G. 2020. Riparian amphibians in two tropical ecosystems of southeastern Mexico. Ecosistemas 29(3):2098. https://doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.2098

Riparian amphibians in two tropical ecosystems of southeastern Mexico. The diversity and composition of the riparian amphibian community was analyzed, as well as its relationship with environmental variables in primary and secondary vegetation. To search for individuals and collect data, ten band transects were established on a stream that crosses both types of vegetation, which were sampled monthly for one year, making day and night tours. A total of 924 individuals belonging to 18 species, 14 genera and five families were registered, with Hylidae being the best represented with eight species. In primary vegetation the highest abundance was recorded with 492 individuals and the lowest richness with 13 species, while in secondary vegetation the lowest abundance was recorded with 432 individuals and the highest richness with 15 species. According to the true diversity index, the highest diversity value was recorded in secondary vegetation (1D = 5.95) and the lowest in primary vegetation (1D = 4.98), with a similarity of 74%, sharing 10 species. Craugastor berkenbuschii was the dominant species in both types of vegetation, with 47% of the total abundance. Three exclusive species were recorded for primary vegetation and five for secondary vegetation. The canonical correspondence analysis (ACC) explained 75.3% of the variance of the data, significantly correlating the amphibian community with the tree cover and the depth of the litter.