Temporary Pond Availability and Tadpole Species Composition in Central Amazonia

Effects of pond structural complexity on the reproduction of Physalaemus ephippifer (Anura, Leptodactylidae)

Habitat structure is a factor that strongly affects the distribution of organisms. Habitats with high structural complexity provide a high number of microhabitats, allowing the coexistence of species with different behavioral, ecological and physiological requirements. We analyzed the effects of structural complexity of ponds on the number of males and foam nests of Physalaemus ephippifer, and the substrates to which individuals attach their foam nests. We sampled 41 ponds and recorded the number of individuals of P. ephippifer and environmental data (type of vegetation in, adjacent and around the pond; type of bottom substrate in the pond) to measure the degree of structural complexity of the ponds through an index ranging between 0 and 1. We found a positive influence of pond structural complexity on mean number of calling males, but not on number of foam nests. We found most foam nests attached to gramineans and herbaceous plants. Vegetation is an important component of habitats with high complexity, providing refuges for adults and tadpoles. The index was an efficient tool to measure habitat structural complexity, and may be used in further studies with other species.

Anuran amphibians' diversity in a northwestern area of the Brazilian Pantanal

In the Pantanal, the largest continuous floodplain in the world, the diversity and distribution of anuran amphibians vary in and across distinct subregions and distinct habitats occurring along inundation gradients. Permanent and natural aquatic habitats are relatively scarce in the Pantanal, and occurrence of temporary aquatic habitats varies seasonally, depending on rains. We here present results of evaluations of anuran's species richness and abundance in a seasonally flooded area in the northwestern section of the Pantanal (Fazenda Baía de Pedra, Cáceres municipality, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil), comparing values obtained in 10 plots systematically distributed over 5 km² with those obtained in additional aquatic plots in the study area. Data were obtained in five field trips, from February 2008 to March 2009. In addition to the plots, 36 water bodies (20 permanent and 16 temporary) were also sampled for the presence of anurans. In total, 3,983 individuals from 34 anuran species distributed in five families were recorded: Hylidae (14 species), Leptodactylidae (8), Leiuperidae (6), Microhylidae (4), and Bufonidae (2). Local richness represents 77.3% of the anuran diversity already recorded for the Brazilian Pantanal. The number of species recorded exclusively in systematically distributed terrestrial plots and in water bodies was 28 and 32, respectively. Sampling methods used at Fazenda Baía da Pedra were efficient in determining anuran richness, abundance, composition and distribution. Evaluations of anuran richness and abundance by using permanent sampling plots in the Pantanal may benefit from additional sampling sites, particularly permanent and temporary water bodies.

Distribution of frogs in riparian areas of an urban forest fragment in Central Amazonia

This study aimed to evaluate how environmental variables (width of valley, stream size, forest edge distance, and leaf-litter depth) affect the abundance and richness of species of frog species in riparian areas of an urban forest fragment in Central Amazonia. The study was conducted at the campus of the Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil, between May 2008 and April 2009, when three nocturnal and diurnal samples were taken from ten plots. A total of 17 species belonging to seven families were registered. The number of species recorded per plot varied from seven to 14. We detected a relationship between the edge distance and richness: the plots with lower richness were located near the fragment border. The variables had no significant effect on abundance of each species.