Ecología y comportamiento reproductivo de Eleutherodactylus aureolineatus (Anura, Brachycephalidae) del dosel de la cuenca del Amazonas Superior, Ecuador

Exploration and investigation of the anuran fauna in the canopies of the Upper Amazon Basin has led to the recent discoveries of new species of the genus Eleutherodactylus utilizing the microhabitat within bromeliads. Detailed information on the ecology and natural history of these communities are scarce due, in part, to the difficulty of accessing their habitat. New sampling methods for rainforest canopies have allowed for the collection and observation of the herpetofauna utilizing this habitat. Sexual size dimorphism in Eleutherodactylus aureolineatus, confirms placement in the E. unistrigatus species group and E. lacrimosus assemblage. The described microhabitat, vocalization characteristics, reproductive behavior and egg deposition of E. aureolineatus provides significant ecological background on this poorly documented group of frogs and their important "wetlands in the sky". The data and observations herein contribute to the overall understanding of the characters and ecological factors which define the E. lacrimosus assemblage.La exploración y la investigación de la fauna de anuros en el estrato del dosel de la cuenca del Amazonas Superior ha llevado a descubrimientos recientes de nuevas especies del genero Eleutherodactylus que utilizan el interior de las bromelidas como micro-hábitat. La información detallada en la ecología y la historia natural de estas comunidades es escasa debido en parte a la dificultad de acceso de su hábitat. Nuevos métodos de muestreo para doseles de selvas pluviales han tomado en cuenta la colecta y la observación de la herpetofauna que utiliza este hábitat. El dimorfismo sexual de tamaño en Eleutherodactylus aureolineatus confirma su posición dentro del grupo de especies de E. unistrigatus y la colección de E. lacrimosus. La descripción del micro-hábitat, características de vocalización, comportamiento reproductivo y el sitio de deposición de huevo de E. aureolineatus provee antecedentes ecológicos importantes para este grupo de ranas pobremente documentadas y sus importantes "pantanos en el cielo". Los datos y las observaciones que aquí se presentan, contribuyen a la comprensión general de los caracteres y los factores ecológicos que definen la colección de E. lacrimosus

A new species of the Eleutherodactylus lacrimosus assemblage (Anura, Brachycephalidae) from the lowland rainforest canopy of Yasuni National Park, Amazonian Ecuador

A new species of Eleutherodactylus from the lowland rainforest canopy in northeastern Amazonian Ecuador is described. It is placed in the Eleutherodactylus lacrimosus assemblage of the greater unistrigatus group. It is most similar to the sympatric species Eleutherodactylus lacrimosus, but differs by the lack of a papilla at the tip of the snout, tubercles on upper eyelids, tubercles on dorsum, dorsal markings, and larger body size, and the presence of lateral fringes on the fingers and a tarsal fold. The new species inhabits tank bromeliads in the upper strata of the rainforest canopy at heights of 23.5-38.0 m. The effects of implementation of canopy surveys on biological diversity are briefly discussed

Global Conservation Significance of Ecuador's Yasuní National Park

Margot S. Bass is with Finding Species, Matt Finer is with Save America's Forests, Clinton N. Jenkins is with Duke University and University of Maryland, Holger Kreft is with University of California San Diego, Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia is with King's College London and Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Shawn F. McCracken is with Texas State University and the TADPOLE Organization, Nigel C. A. Pitman is with Duke University, Peter H. English is with UT Austin, Kelly Swing is with Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Gorky Villa is with Finding Species, Anthony Di Fiore is with New York University, Christian C. Voigt is with Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Thomas H. Kunz is with Boston University.Background -- The threats facing Ecuador's Yasuní National Park are emblematic of those confronting the greater western Amazon, one of the world's last high-biodiversity wilderness areas. Notably, the country's second largest untapped oil reserves—called “ITT”—lie beneath an intact, remote section of the park. The conservation significance of Yasuní may weigh heavily in upcoming state-level and international decisions, including whether to develop the oil or invest in alternatives. Methodology/Principal Findings -- We conducted the first comprehensive synthesis of biodiversity data for Yasuní. Mapping amphibian, bird, mammal, and plant distributions, we found eastern Ecuador and northern Peru to be the only regions in South America where species richness centers for all four taxonomic groups overlap. This quadruple richness center has only one viable strict protected area (IUCN levels I–IV): Yasuní. The park covers just 14% of the quadruple richness center's area, whereas active or proposed oil concessions cover 79%. Using field inventory data, we compared Yasuní's local (alpha) and landscape (gamma) diversity to other sites, in the western Amazon and globally. These analyses further suggest that Yasuní is among the most biodiverse places on Earth, with apparent world richness records for amphibians, reptiles, bats, and trees. Yasuní also protects a considerable number of threatened species and regional endemics. Conclusions/Significance -- Yasuní has outstanding global conservation significance due to its extraordinary biodiversity and potential to sustain this biodiversity in the long term because of its 1) large size and wilderness character, 2) intact large-vertebrate assemblage, 3) IUCN level-II protection status in a region lacking other strict protected areas, and 4) likelihood of maintaining wet, rainforest conditions while anticipated climate change-induced drought intensifies in the eastern Amazon. However, further oil development in Yasuní jeopardizes its conservation values. These findings form the scientific basis for policy recommendations, including stopping any new oil activities and road construction in Yasuní and creating areas off-limits to large-scale development in adjacent northern Peru.The Blue Moon Fund, the Conservation, Food & Health Foundation, and the Forrest and Frances Lattner Foundation funded MF. The US National Science Foundation (Graduate Research Fellowship Program), Texas State University-Department of Biology, and TADPOLE funded SM. The US National Science Foundation, the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation, the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, and Primate Conservation, Inc. funded AD. Establishment of the Tiputini Biodiversity Station supported by the US National Science Foundation–DBI-0434875 (Thomas H. Kunz, PI, with Laura M. MacLatchy, Christopher J. Schneider, and C. Kelly Swing, Co-PIs). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Biological Sciences, School o

Reproductive ecology and behavior of Eleutherodactylus aureolineatus (Anura, Brachycephalidae) in the canopy of the Upper Amazon Basin, Ecuador

Exploration and investigation of the anuran fauna in the canopies of the Upper Amazon Basin has led to the recent discoveries of new species of the genus Eleutherodactylus utilizing the microhabitat within bromeliads. Detailed information on the ecology and natural history of these communities are scarce due, in part, to the difficulty of accessing their habitat. New sampling methods for rainforest canopies have allowed for the collection and observation of the herpetofauna utilizing this habitat. Sexual size dimorphism in Eleutherodactylus aureolineatus, confirms placement in the E. unistrigatus species group and E. lacrimosus assemblage. The described microhabitat, vocalization characteristics, reproductive behavior and egg deposition of E. aureolineatus provides significant ecological background on this poorly documented group of frogs and their important “wetlands in the sky”. The data and observationsherein contribute to the overall understanding of the characters and ecological factors which define the E. lacrimosus assemblage

Oil Road Effects on the Anuran Community of a High Canopy Tank Bromeliad (<i>Aechmea zebrina</i>) in the Upper Amazon Basin, Ecuador

<div><p>Tropical forest canopies are among the most species-rich terrestrial habitats on earth and one of the remaining relatively unexplored biotic frontiers. Epiphytic bromeliads provide microhabitat for a high diversity of organisms in tropical forest canopies and are considered a keystone resource. A number of amphibians inhabit these phytotelmata, yet their ecological role and status in forest canopies remains unknown. For this study, anurans were collected from an upper canopy tank bromeliad (<i>Aechmea zebrina</i>) at ∼20–45 m (x¯ = 33 m) above the forest floor. Bromeliads were sampled from trees located near trails in undisturbed primary rainforest and oil access roads in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve of Amazonian Ecuador. We collected 95 anurans representing 10 species from 160 bromeliads in 32 trees. We used generalized linear mixed models to assess the effects of disturbance and habitat factors on the occupancy and abundance of anurans collected. Bromeliads in forest along oil roads had a lower occupancy and abundance of anurans than those in undisturbed forest, a somewhat unexpected result due to the intactness and quality of forest adjacent to the roads. Recorded habitat variables had no relationship with occupancy or abundance of anurans, and did not differ significantly between treatments. Our findings reveal that even the minimal footprint of natural resource extraction operations, primarily roads, in rainforest environments can have significant negative impacts on the unique upper canopy anuran community. Based on these results, we recommend that natural resource development treat rainforest habitat as an offshore system where roads are not used, employ industry best practice guidelines, and current access roads be protected from colonization and further deforestation.</p></div

Best-supported models (ΔAIC≤2) for anuran occupancy of <i>A. zebrina</i> bromeliads for datasets containing all species, obligate canopy-dwellers, and obligate bromeliad-inhabitants.

<p>^a Dataset analyzed with all anurans collected from <i>A. zebrina</i> bromeliads.</p><p>^b Dataset analyzed using only obligate canopy-dwelling anurans.</p><p>^c Dataset analyzed using only obligate bromeliad-inhabiting anurans.</p><p>^d All models analyzed using binomial error distribution.</p><p>^e Coefficient estimate.</p><p>Statistically significant effects (p<0.05).</p

Best-supported models (ΔAIC≤2) of anuran abundance in <i>A. zebrina</i> bromeliads for all species, obligate canopy-dwellers, and obligate bromeliad-inhabitants.

<p>^a Dataset analyzed with all anurans collected from <i>A. zebrina</i> bromeliads.</p><p>^b Dataset analyzed using only obligate canopy-dwelling anurans.</p><p>^c Dataset analyzed using only obligate bromeliad-inhabiting anurans.</p><p>^d Best-fit error distribution as determined by AIC; LN Poisson = Log-normal Poisson, T1 Neg. Bin. = Type 1 negative binomial.</p><p>^e Coefficient estimate.</p><p>Statistically significant effects (p<0.05).</p

Anuran species collected during bromeliad patch sampling, designated habitat, and abundance in disturbance levels.

<p>Anuran species collected during bromeliad patch sampling, designated habitat, and abundance in disturbance levels.</p

Anuran occupancy and abundance of sampled <i>Aechmea zebrina</i> bromeliads.

<p>Heat map of anuran occupancy and abundance sampled from <i>A. zebrina</i> in low-intensity disturbed forest and undisturbed forest. Trees are sorted by distance to road on the x-axis and bromeliads are sorted by elevation in tree on the y-axis. Summed anuran collections from all five bromeliads in each tree shown in upper bar graph with distance from road overlaid as line graph.</p

Map of the study area for <i>Aechmea zebrina</i> bromeliad host tree surveys and sampling.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Yasuní National Park (solid dark green) in the Amazon ecoregion (light green line) of eastern Ecuador. (<b>B</b>) 2004 Landsat ETM+ (bands 6,4, and 2) mosaic satellite image of study area surveyed for <i>A. zebrina</i> bromeliads and sampled trees, where the lightest and most brightly colored areas typically represent deforestation or secondary growth. Auca road = high-intensity forest disturbance, Maxus road = low-intensity forest disturbance, and Control area = undisturbed forest. (<b>C</b>) Detail of control area (undisturbed forest) for <i>A. zebrina</i> bromeliad surveys and sampling.</p