The variation in frog biodiversity along the forested landscape in Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil

1. The variation in frog biodiversity along the forested landscape in Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil Carlos F. D. Rocha, Carla C. Siqueira, Cristina V. Ariani, Davor Vrcibradic, Mara C. Kiefer, Mauricio Almeida-Gomes, Vitor N. Borges-Junior, Helena G. Bergallo & Monique Van Sluys DepartmentofEcology, InstituteofBiology, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2. AmphibiansAn animal groupdisapearingfromtheplanet • Stronglysusceptibletovariations in humidity • Life cicleinvolvingacquaticpartoflife for mostspecies • Habitat destruction • Chytridiomycosis • Climaticchanges Haddadusbinotatus

3. BrazilianAtlanticRainforest:Oneofthe worlds’ hotspots Presently In 1500 A veryspeciesrichBiome for different animal andplantspecies

4. Communitycompositionchangesalongspaceas habitat characteristicschanges How frog communities varies? • Biodiversity • Density • Similarity of frogs varies along the forested landscape? Haddadusbinotatus We estimated frog biodiversity based on intensive field surveys sampling frog assemblages in nine Atlantic Rainforest areas covering all regions of the state.

5. Tend to restrict activity: Also, humidity is crucial to frogs and explain frogs’ occurrence and activity Frog occurrence and activity • To favorable areas • To periods of less risk to desiccation This resulted in frog activity being species and group specific Time of activity is characteristic of each frog group of species Inferred from quantities of individuals acitveat different periods of the day during large-scale field surveys. Preferredactivityperiod in frogcommunitiesdependsonregionandspeciesoccurringthere

6. Whatisthemostappropriateperiodtofind, inventoryandstudyamphibiansduringstudiesandmonitoring? Shoudbestudiedateach habitat in particular toknowactivity Specieslevel Frog activity Family level LEVEL Overall for allthe local frogcommunity

7. Westudiedfrogcommunitycompositionandactivity in themainremnantsofforests in theAtlanticRainforest in Rio de Janeiro state in Brazil

8. At whatperiodof time are AtlanticRainforestfrogspredominantlyactive? We evaluated the preferred activity period in nine Atlantic Rainforest areas in southeastern Brazil, based on intensive field surveys.

9. Localitiesstudiedandsamplingeffort

10. Samplingofamphibianactivity in nine differentremnantsoftheAttlanticRainforest At eacharea: Abouttenresearchers in fieldwork

11. Samplingwas spread alongspacetobetterestimatethe general activityofAtlanticRainforestfrogs At each locality: we employed similar sampling effort during diurnal, crepuscular and nocturnal searches (totaling 706 sampling hours). Ischnocnemaoctavioi

12. Differentenvironmentssampledinsidetheareastoreachthemostwidearrayofspecies living there Ombrofilousforests (Selva) Disturbedandregenerationareas (Hábitats perturbados y en áreas de regeneración) Inselbergs Riparianforestsandstreams (bosques ribereños y arroyos)

13. Systematicsamplingatdifferent times ofday Toefficientlysamplingfrogactivity: Differentmethods, differentperiodsofday Sampling Increasesthe chance offindingspecieswithdifferentactivityperiods Diurnalperiod (09:00 -1600hs) Crepuscular period (17:30 -18:30hs) Nocturnalperiod (19:00 – 22:00 hs)

14. Metodology Active searchlimitedby time: • 150 transectsof 30 minutsdurationtotaling 75 hours ofsampling • 50 diurnaltransects, 50 crepusculars e 50 nocturnals

15. The lleaf-litterlayerofforestground: Complexanurancommunitysensibletoalterations in thestructureand micro climateofleaf-litter Interactionswith micro, mesoandmacroorganismswhichpromotethe break ofthe material andfurtherremineralization in mechanicandchemichal processes. Anenvironmentwherecomplex processes recicle nutrientsto new forestgrowth Leaf-litteramphibianshave crucial function in the top-downcontrolonthedensityofpreyswith na important role in theregulationofnutrient dynamics in theforests

16. Metodology – samplingleaf-litterforestfrogs (muestreode ranas de lahojarascaforestale) • Sampling:established 30 plotsof5 x 5 m(25 m2) onforestfloorwhichweredistantatleast 100 m amongthem • Total of 750 m2 offorestleaf-litterfloorsampled • Researcherscarefullysearched for frogsinsideeachplot in a systematicway • FrogDensityexpressed in termos of no. Ind/100m2 offorestfloor= standardized for leaflitterfrogs in the world

17. Metodology – samplingfrogsusing pit-falltraps (Cubos enterrados en el suelo del bosque) • 3 pit-fall systems openedduring 11 daysateacharea • Eachsystem composedby 30 bucketsof 30 littersdistant 5 m apart fromthenext • Totalling 90 bucketspassivelysamplingterrestyrialfrogs • Bucketscheckedseparatelyduringthedayand in crepuscular andnocturnalperiods

18. Representativespecimensofeachspeciesoffrogswereprocessed in thefield for referenceof its occurrence in eacharea

19. ResultsFrogspeciesrichness in theareas We found a total of 69 frog species Species richness differed significantly among sampling periods (ANOVA: F2,21 = 7.395; p < 0.005), with differences being significant between diurnal and nocturnal periods (p < 0.005). • Nocturnal(median = 12, range = 6 to 19 frog species) • Crepuscular (median = 8, range = 3 to 14 species) • Diurnal (median = 4, range = 1 to 6 Higher richness of frog species at dusk and night

20. Ischnocnemaoctavioi Brachycephalusspn. Ischnocnema parva Proceratophrysmelanopogon Haddadusbinotatus Phasmahylaguttata Scinaxflavoguttatus Rhinellaicterica Scinax v-signatus

21. Results– Frogabundances 817 individual frogs found in the nine areas surveyed The abundanceswerespecies-specificandcharacteristicofeachfroggroupofspecies Brachycephalusspn.

22. Results– FrogabundancesAbundancesdifferedatdifferentperiodsofday Number of individuals per site differed significantly among sampling periods (ANOVA: F2,21 = 10.982; p = 0.001) Values for the diurnal period being significantly lower than those of the crepuscular (p < 0.01) and nocturnal (p = 0.001) Crepuscular (p < 0.01) and nocturnal not differing between themselves (p = 0.531). • Nocturnal(N = 437 individuals or 53.5%) • Crepuscular (N = 267 individuals or 32.7%) • Diurnal (N = 113; 13.8% of individual frogs Higher number of individual frogs at dusk and night for most species.

23. Results NMDS analysis showed that higher similarity in frog communities was found • between Reserva Rio das Pedras (RERP) and Serra Concórdia (SC) • between EEP and ReservaGuapiaçu (REGUA). NMDS configurationbyPresence/Absence

24. Results Whenconfigurationisreducedtoaxis1andrelatedto altitudes in theareas ... Altitude in theareasexplainpartofthesimilaritiesamongareas

25. Activityalongtheday The activitywasspecies-specificandcharacteristicofeachfroggroupofspecies Brachycephalusspn.

26. The activityofBrazilianAtlanticRainforestFrogsdiffersconsistentlyamongperiodsofday About 88 % oftheactivityofthefrogswas crepuscular-nocturnal. Only 12% offrogswerediurnal - usuallyHylodidae

27. At what time ofday are thedifferentfrogspeciesactive in theforest?

28. Analyzing each species separately 15 species (21.7%) during both the crepuscular and nocturnal surveys 24 species (34.8%) were found only at night 15 (21.7%) were found during all three periods Higher number of individuals at dusk and night for most species.

29. Comparingtootherareas • Our study - The crepuscular together with the nocturnal periods - about 88% of the individuals recorded. • Rocha et al. (2000) in Atlanticforestarea - 71% (nine species) during nocturnal sampling • Menin et al. (2008) in Central Amazonia (total of 30 species recorded) - 73% (25 species) at night. • Summers (2002) similar values in a Panamanianforest (77 %)

30. Familiesandactivity • Hylids were predominantly nocturnal • Terrestrial direct-developers [comprising the Terraranasensu Hedges et al. (2008) and represented here by the families Brachycephalidae and Craugastoridae] tend to have crepuscular-nocturnal activity. • Nocturnal or crepuscular-nocturnal activity for the Leptodactylidae, Bufonidae and Cycloramphidae • Only species of the family Hylodidae can be considered as diurnal in our study.

31. Life essenciallyrestricttostreamsandrivuletsinsideforests Hylodesfredi Hylodesphyllodes Family HylodidaeGenus HylodesandCrossodactylusAllspeciesexclusivelydiurnal Constitutespeciesparticularllyvulnerabletoextinction Real Areaofocupation (AO) too muchsmallerthansupposed Hylodesnasus Presentmethodofthreatenriskevaluation (IUCN) is still generalizedtoallspecies Overestimatethe real Areaofocupation (AO) ofthesespeciesrestricttostreamswhichis too muchsmaller! Crossodactylusgaudichaudii

32. Conservationofamphibians The importanceofconsideringtheefetciveOcupationArea (AO) for speciesofliferestrictedtostreamsandrivulets as theareaofthehidric system Almeida Gomes, Rocha and Vieira , 2014 , ConservationBiology 28 (2) : 616-619

33. AnuransofAtlanticRainforetsWhere are endemicsandthreatenedspecies? Regionsof Rio de Janeiro Statewithconcentrationofendemicandthreatenedfrog

34. General conclusions • Our study evidences a trend for a conspicuous change in biodiversity of frogs along the forested landscape in Rio de Janeiro • most of such change may be explained based on geographic distance among areas possibly reflecting also structural and altitudinal differences among areas.

35. General conclusions Our results indicated the need of conservation efforts on amphibian species, especially: • To those frog-rich areas of the state. • Those with life restrict to streams in the forest

36. DECOL Thanks! Gracias! Allstudentsfromthe Laboratório de Ecologia de Vertebrados