Environmental Drivers and Network Structure of Hylid Anurans (Amphibia: Hylidae) in Floating Meadows from Amazonian Oxbow Lakes

Author(s)

Assis de Matos, Lucicleia Railene ; Ramalho, Werther Pereira ; de Arruda, Filipe Viegas ; Ceron, Karoline ; Luna, Pedro ; Virgilio, Lucena Rocha ; Soares Vieira, Lisandro Juno

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: WETLANDS; v. 42, n. 3, p. 13-pg., 2022-03-01.

Abstract

Despite increasing knowledge of the ecological interactions between species, the dynamics of anurans in aquatic environments are little explored. Thus, our work aims to assess which factors influence the composition and the ecological interactions of hylid anuran species in oxbow lakes in the middle Purus River, Amazonas state, Brazil. We sampled hylid anurans, macroinvertebrates, and macrophyte along 200-m transects, in three lakes with high, medium, and low connectivity on two occasions, once during a flood and again during drought. Variations in hylid anuran assemblages and their ecological interactions were tested as a function of environmental niche, food resources, connectivity level, and hydrological regime. The availability of environmental resources and the availability of food resources were the best factors that explained the distribution of hylid anurans, which were also highly dependent on the variations between the hydrological regimes. The interactions between anurans, macroinvertebrates, and macrophytes showed a modular and specialized structure, which varied according to the connectivity and hydrological regimes of the lakes. Connectance showed an increasing trend from high to low connectivity lakes, suggesting that anurans had low trophic and environmental specialization in lakes with low connectivity. Hylids found in the lake of medium connectivity had higher values of trophic specialization and modularity. Our results illustrate the role of river-lake connectivity and annual hydrological cycle to maintain the aquatic biota and their interactions, and highlight the importance of floating meadows for the maintenance of biodiversity in floodplains. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 20/12558-0 - Impact of extinctions on the functionality and evolutionary history in interaction networks between anurans and their prey and their contribution to pest and vector control
• Grantee: Karoline Ceron
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral