Life Sciences Commons^™

Functional Traits Explain Amphibian Distribution In The Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Ricardo Lourenço-De-Moraes, Felipe S. Campos, Rodrigo B. Ferreira, Karen H. Beard, Mirco Solé, Gustavo A. Llorente, Rogério P. Bastos

Ecology Center Publications

Aim: Species distributions are one of the most important ways to understand how communities interact through macroecological relationships. The functional abilities of a species, such as its plasticity in various environments, can determine its distribution and beta diversity patterns. In this study, we evaluate how functional traits influence the distribution of amphibians, and hypothesize which functional traits explain the current pattern of amphibian species composition in the Atlantic Forest.

Location: Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

Methods: Using potential distributions of Brazilian Atlantic Forest of amphibian species, we analysed the relative importance of abiotic factors and species functional traits in explaining species richness, …

Amphibians Of Santa Teresa, Brazil: The Hotspot Further Evaluated, Rodrigo Barbosa Ferreira, Alexander Tamanini Mônico, Emanuel Teixeira Da Silva, Fernanda Cristina Ferreira Lirio, Cássio Zocca, Marcio Marques Mageski, João Filipe Riva Tonini, Karen H. Beard, Charles Duca, Thiago Silva-Soares

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

A checklist of the amphibians of Santa Teresa municipality, in southeastern Brazil is presented based on fieldwork, examination of specimens in collections, and a literature review. This new amphibian list of Santa Teresa includes 108 species, of which 106 (~98%) belong to Anura and two (~2%) to Gymnophiona. Hylidae was the most represented family with 47 species (43%). Compared to the previous amphibian lists for Santa Teresa, 14 species were added, 17 previously reported species were removed, and 13 species were re-identified based on recent taxonomic rearrangements. Of the 14 species added, 11 (79%) were first recorded during our fieldwork …

Antipredator Mechanisms Of Post-Metamorphic Anurans: A Global Database And Classification System, Rodrigo B. Ferreira, Ricardo Lourenço-De-Moraes, Cássio Zocca, Charles Duca, Karen H. Beard, Edmund D. Brodie Jr.

Ecology Center Publications

A crucial step in any ethological study is to distinguish and classify the observed behavior into categories. The literature on anuran antipredator mechanisms is largely scattered and descriptive due to the opportunistic nature of the observations and the lack of a simple, widely accepted classification scheme. We propose an explanatory classification system of antipredator mechanisms for post-metamorphic anurans (i.e., juveniles and adults) based on a thorough review of the literature and observations made during fieldwork and in the laboratory since 1970. In addition, we provide a freely available global database on antipredator mechanisms of post-metamorphic anurans. The classification system is …

Back To The Future: Conserving Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity In The Amphibian-Climate Refuges, Ricardo Lourenço-De-Moraes, Felipe S. Campos, Rodrigo B. Ferreira, Mirco Solé, Karen H. Beard, Rogério P. Bastos

Ecology Center Publications

Climate refuges have been used by several species over historical climate change. Ectothermic species often display good models for climate change studies because they are highly sensitive to temperature. Analysis of species loss with ecosystem and evolutionary values helps to understand environmental processes and climate change consequences. We determined the functional and phylogenetic diversity of amphibians in the Atlantic Forest hotspot, using multiple models representing present and future conditions. Through a novel approach, we predict species’ threat status by 2080, following the IUCN’s criterion B1. Our results estimate a drastic reduction in species richness, ecosystem functioning and evolutionary history at …