Gradientes Andinos en la Diversidad y Patrones de Endemismo en Anfibios y Reptiles de Colombia: Posibles Respuestas al Cambio Climatico

En la actualidad, las evidencias del cambio climático sobre la biodiversidad son contundentes y muestran patrones de declive de anfibios y reptiles a nivel global. Los cambios globales, sin embargo, actúan en sinergia con la perdida, fragmentación y degradación del hábitat, la sobrexplotación, la contaminación, las invasiones biológicas y las enfermedades emergentes, afectando fuertemente la estructura y función de los ecosistemas. En el presente estudio se plantea la reflexión que las especies de anfibios y reptiles más vulnerables al cambio climático en Colombia son aquellas que habitan ambientes andinos (y paramos) y presentan rangos altitudinales estrechos. En este sentido, las especies andinas pueden desaparecer secuencialmente en asocio con los cambios climáticos extremos, la perdida de neblina, la perdida de alimento y la desaparición de epifitas en los bosques, dentro de otros microhábitats indispensables para su reproducción, forrajeo y refugio. Por ello es necesario mantener y recuperar la conectividad estructural y funcional en el paisaje, para permitir que las especies cambien de rango geográfico y puedan colonizar tierras altas en busca de nichos ecológicos adecuados a sus límites vitales para su supervivencia y persistencia en el tiempo. Así mismo, es necesario manejar la dinámica interna de los fragmentos remanentes para minimizar los efectos de borde, de extracción selectiva de madera, la dinámica de claros y la invasión de especies, con el fin de mantener la calidad de hábitat para aquellas especies que no pueden migrar en busca de nuevas áreas a colonizar

Áreas vulnerables a la invasión actual y futura de la rana toro (Lithobates catesbeianus: Ranidae) en Colombia: estrategias propuestas para su manejo y control

The bullfrog is one of the most aggressive invasive species globally because of their wide dispersal ability, competence and their voracious eating habits. In Colombia, the species has been reported since the early 80's when entered the country as an economic alternative in the frog breeding and distribution has increased since then. This work has modeled potential distribution of the species in Colombia based upon the projection of the distribution in the native area in the northeastern United States. Likewise, the distribution was compared with the current potential future distribution of three global circulation models (CCCMA-CGCM31, CSIRO_MK30 and IPSL_CM4) and over two time horizons (2050 and 2080 yrs). It was determined that the Andes and the Caribbean Region in Colombia presents optimal areas for the establishment of the species present and the future. It is urgent to design and implement a management and control plan for Bullfrog populations in Colombia, to identify invaded areas and perform control of this species. This article provides some basis for the development of this plan in Colombia.La rana toro es una de las especies invasoras más agresivas a nivel global debido a su amplia capacidad de dispersión, de competencia y por sus hábitos alimenticios voraces y plásticos. En Colombia la especie ha sido reportada desde la década de los 80's cuando fue introducida al país como alternativa económica en la ranicultura y su distribución se ha incrementado desde ese entonces. En el presente trabajo se realizó un modelo de distribución potencial de la especie para Colombia basado en la proyección de la distribución actual en el área nativa, en el noreste de los Estados Unidos. Así mismo se comparó la distribución potencial actual con la distribución futura en tres modelos globales de circulación (CCCMA-CGCM31, CSIRO_MK30 y IPSL_CM4) y a lo largo de dos horizontes de tiempo (años 2050 y 2080). Se determinó que los Andes y la región Caribe en Colombia presentan áreas óptimas para el establecimiento de la especie en el presente y en el futuro. Es urgente realizar un plan de manejo y control de la rana toro en Colombia, identificar las áreas invadidas para controlar las poblaciones de esta especie y tomar medidas preventivas en áreas potenciales para la invasión

Áreas vulnerables a la invasión actual y futura de la rana toro (<em>Lithobates catesbeianus<em>: Ranidae) en Colombia: estrategias propuestas para su manejo y control

The bullfrog is one of the most aggressive invasive species globally because of their wide dispersal ability, competence and their voracious eating habits. In Colombia, the species has been reported since the early 80's when entered the country as an economic alternative in the frog breeding and distribution has increased since then. This work has modeled potential distribution of the species in Colombia based upon the projection of the distribution in the native area in the northeastern United States. Likewise, the distribution was compared with the current potential future distribution of three global circulation models (CCCMA-CGCM31, CSIRO_MK30 and IPSL_CM4) and over two time horizons (2050 and 2080 yrs). It was determined that the Andes and the Caribbean Region in Colombia presents optimal areas for the establishment of the species present and the future. It is urgent to design and implement a management and control plan for Bullfrog populations in Colombia, to identify invaded areas and perform control of this species. This article provides some basis for the development of this plan in Colombia

Climate Change and American Bullfrog Invasion: What Could We Expect in South America?

BACKGROUND: Biological invasion and climate change pose challenges to biodiversity conservation in the 21(st) century. Invasive species modify ecosystem structure and functioning and climatic changes are likely to produce invasive species' range shifts pushing some populations into protected areas. The American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is one of the hundred worst invasive species in the world. Native from the southeast of USA, it has colonized more than 75% of South America where it has been reported as a highly effective predator, competitor and vector of amphibian diseases. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We modeled the potential distribution of the bullfrog in its native range based on different climate models and green-house gases emission scenarios, and projected the results onto South America for the years of 2050 and 2080. We also overlaid projected models onto the South American network of protected areas. Our results indicate a slight decrease in potential suitable area for bullfrog invasion, although protected areas will become more climatically suitable. Therefore, invasion of these sites is forecasted. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: We provide new evidence supporting the vulnerability of the Atlantic Forest Biodiversity Hotspot to bullfrog invasion and call attention to optimal future climatic conditions of the Andean-Patagonian forest, eastern Paraguay, and northwestern Bolivia, where invasive populations have not been found yet. We recommend several management and policy strategies to control bullfrog invasion and argue that these would be possible if based on appropriate articulation among government agencies, NGOs, research institutions and civil society

The Effects of Governmental Protected Areas and Social Initiatives for Land Protection on the Conservation of Mexican Amphibians

Traditionally, biodiversity conservation gap analyses have been focused on governmental protected areas (PAs). However, an increasing number of social initiatives in conservation (SICs) are promoting a new perspective for analysis. SICs include all of the efforts that society implements to conserve biodiversity, such as land protection, from private reserves to community zoning plans some of which have generated community-protected areas. This is the first attempt to analyze the status of conservation in Latin America when some of these social initiatives are included. The analyses were focused on amphibians because they are one of the most threatened groups worldwide. Mexico is not an exception, where more than 60% of its amphibians are endemic. We used a niche model approach to map the potential and real geographical distribution (extracting the transformed areas) of the endemic amphibians. Based on remnant distribution, all the species have suffered some degree of loss, but 36 species have lost more than 50% of their potential distribution. For 50 micro-endemic species we could not model their potential distribution range due to the small number of records per species, therefore the analyses were performed using these records directly. We then evaluated the efficiency of the existing set of governmental protected areas and established the contribution of social initiatives (private and community) for land protection for amphibian conservation. We found that most of the species have some proportion of their potential ecological niche distribution protected, but 20% are not protected at all within governmental PAs. 73% of endemic and 26% of micro-endemic amphibians are represented within SICs. However, 30 micro-endemic species are not represented within either governmental PAs or SICs. This study shows how the role of land conservation through social initiatives is therefore becoming a crucial element for an important number of species not protected by governmental PAs

Global South leadership towards inclusive tropical ecology and conservation

Strengthening participation of Global South researchers in tropical ecology and conservation is a target of our scientific community, but strategies for fostering increased engagement are mostly directed at Global North institutions and researchers. Whereas such approaches are crucial, there are unique challenges to addressing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the Global South given its socio-economic, cultural and scientific contexts. Sustainable solutions protecting biodiversity in the tropics depend on the leadership of Global South communities, and therefore DEI improvements in the Global South are paramount in our field. Here, we propose ten key actions towards equitable international collaborations in tropical ecology, which, led by Global South researchers, may improve DEI at institutional, national and international levels. At an institutional level, we recommend (1) becoming role models for DEI, (2) co-developing research with local stakeholders, and (3) promoting transparent funding management favouring local scientists. At a national level, we encourage (4) engagement in political actions protecting scientists and their research in tropical countries, (5) participation in improving biodiversity research policies, and (6) devising research that reaches society. At an international level, we encourage Global South researchers in international collaborations to (7) lead and direct funding applications, (8) ensure equitable workloads, and (9) procure equal benefits among national and foreign collaborators. Finally, (10) we propose that Global South leadership in DEI efforts has the most potential for worldwide improvements, supporting positive long-lasting changes in our entire scientific community. Supplementary materials provide this abstract in 18 other languages spoken in the Global South

Extinction filters mediate the global effects of habitat fragmentation on animals

Habitat loss is the primary driver of biodiversity decline worldwide, but the effects of fragmentation (the spatial arrangement of remaining habitat) are debated. We tested the hypothesis that forest fragmentation sensitivity—affected by avoidance of habitat edges—should be driven by historical exposure to, and therefore species’ evolutionary responses to disturbance. Using a database containing 73 datasets collected worldwide (encompassing 4489 animal species), we found that the proportion of fragmentation-sensitive species was nearly three times as high in regions with low rates of historical disturbance compared with regions with high rates of disturbance (i.e., fires, glaciation, hurricanes, and deforestation). These disturbances coincide with a latitudinal gradient in which sensitivity increases sixfold at low versus high latitudes. We conclude that conservation efforts to limit edges created by fragmentation will be most important in the world’s tropical forests

Has land use pushed terrestrial biodiversity beyond the planetary boundary? A global assessment

Land use and related pressures have reduced local terrestrial biodiversity, but it is unclear how the magnitude of change relates to the recently proposed planetary boundary (“safe limit”). We estimate that land use and related pressures have already reduced local biodiversity intactness—the average proportion of natural biodiversity remaining in local ecosystems—beyond its recently proposed planetary boundary across 58.1% of the world’s land surface, where 71.4% of the human population live. Biodiversity intactness within most biomes (especially grassland biomes), most biodiversity hotspots, and even some wilderness areas is inferred to be beyond the boundary. Such widespread transgression of safe limits suggests that biodiversity loss, if unchecked, will undermine efforts toward long-term sustainable development

Hung Out to Dry: Choice of Priority Ecoregions for Conserving Threatened Neotropical Anurans Depends on Life-History Traits

Background: In the Neotropics, nearly 35 % of amphibian species are threatened by habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and habitat split; anuran species with different developmental modes respond to habitat disturbance in different ways. This entails broad-scale strategies for conserving biodiversity and advocates for the identification of high conservation-value regions that are significant in a global or continental context and that could underpin more detailed conservation assessments towards such areas. Methodology/Principal Findings: We identified key ecoregion sets for anuran conservation using an algorithm that favors complementarity (beta-diversity) among ecoregions. Using the WWF’s Wildfinder database, which encompasses 700 threatened anuran species in 119 Neotropical ecoregions, we separated species into those with aquatic larvae (AL) or terrestrial development (TD), as this life-history trait affects their response to habitat disturbance. The conservation target of 100 % of species representation was attained with a set of 66 ecoregions. Among these, 30 were classified as priority both for species with AL and TD, 26 were priority exclusively for species with AL, and 10 for species with TD only. Priority ecoregions for both developmental modes are concentrated in the Andes and in Mesoamerica. Ecoregions important for conserving species with AL are widely distributed across the Neotropics. When anuran life histories were ignored, species with AL were always underrepresented in priority sets