Nesting patterns among Neotropical species assemblages: can reserves in urban areas be failing to protect anurans?

Author(s)

Lourenco-de-Moraes, Ricardo ^{[1, 2]} ; Malagoli, Leo R. ^{[3, 4]} ; Guerra, Vinicius ^[1] ; Ferreira, Rodrigo B. ^[5] ; Affonso, Igor de Paiva ^{[1, 6]} ; Haddad, Celio F. B. ^{[7, 3]} ; Sawaya, Ricardo J. ^[8] ; Bastos, Rogerio P. ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Maringa, Programa Posgrad Ecol Ambientes Aquat Continentai, BR-87020900 Maringa, PR - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Goias, Dept Ecol, Lab Herpetol & Comportamento Anim, Cx Postal 131, BR-74001970 Goiania, Go - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Inst Biociencias, Ctr Aquicultura CAUNESP, BR-13506970 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, Programa Posgrad Ciencias Biol Zool, Lab Herpetol, BR-13506970 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

^[5] UVV, Programa Posgrad Ecol Ecossistemas, BR-29102770 Vila Velha, ES - Brazil

^[6] Univ Tecnol Fed Parana, Dept Ciencias Biol, Campus Ponta Grossa, Av Monteiro Lobato S-N, Km 04, BR-84016210 Ponta Grossa, PR - Brazil

^[7] Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, BR-13506970 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

^[8] Univ Fed ABC UFABC, Ctr Ciencias Nat & Humanas, BR-09606070 Sao Bernardo Do Campo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: URBAN ECOSYSTEMS; v. 21, n. 5, p. 933-942, OCT 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 2

Abstract

Nestedness among species assemblages implies that sites of lower species richness are subsets of richer sites in a regional species pool. This nestedness is a reflection of a non-random process of species loss as a consequence of factors that promote the disaggregation of assemblages. The impoverishment of assemblage diversity is more often observed in fragmented landscapes. This non-random process has important implications for conservation. We recorded 95 species of anurans across 22 protected areas, of which 11 sites were in an urban matrix and 11 were in a non-urban matrix. We found that sites in the urban matrix had lower richness and high values of nestedness with no spatial autocorrelation among geographic distances and species composition. Thus, species were non-randomly distributed across the landscape and a nested pattern was documented from non-urban matrix sites to urban matrix sites. The impoverishment of assemblages toward the urban matrix sites may suggest that protected areas in an urban matrix are less suitable for anuran conservation than those in a non-urban matrix sites. Both the ecological revitalization of protected areas in urban matrix and protection of non-urban forested sites are needed for the conservation of Neotropical anurans. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/50741-7 - Diversity and conservation of Brazilian amphibians
• Grantee: Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 08/50928-1 - Speciation of frogs in high-altitude environments
• Grantee: Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/23677-9 - New approaches to ecology and conservation: phylogenetic and functional diversity of amphibians and snakes of Brazilian Atlantic Forest
• Grantee: Ricardo Jannini Sawaya
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants