Humidity levels drive reproductive modes and phylogenetic diversity of amphibians in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Habitat Split as a Cause of Local Population Declines of Amphibians with Aquatic Larvae

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Seasonal variation in body size of tropical anuran amphibians.

Most anurans are considered short lived reproducing only once, with adult size being an important factor contributing to mating success. We sampled anurans with 30 pitfall traps in three forest patches of the northwestern São Paulo State, Brazil, throughout one year. Our objective was to analyze the variation in anuran body size between the dry and rainy season. Our hypothesis is that anurans registered during the rainy season will be larger than conspecifics registered during dry season, since there is a selective advantage in having a larger body size during reproduction activity. The most abundant species registered in the patches were Eupemphix nattereri, Physalaemus cuvieri and Leptodactylus podicipinus. Males and females of E. nattereri and P. cuvieri recorded in the rainy season were larger than of those captured in the dry one. In contrast, males of L. podicipinus were larger in the dry season than in the rainy season. Besides, the operational sex ratio (OSR) in the breeding season was biased towards males in these three species with, respectively, 4.66, 3.2 and 1.87 males per female. Our results suggest that probably body size variation between different seasons is a consequence of individuals' turnover between rainy seasons. Lower individuals captured in the dry season, would be reproductively active adults in the next breeding season.

Control of breathing in anuran amphibians

The primary role of the respiratory system is to ensure adequate tissue oxygenation, eliminate carbon dioxide and help to regulate acid-base status. To maintain this homeostasis, amphibians possess an array of receptors located at peripheral and central chemoreceptive sites that sense respiration-related variables in both internal and external environments. As in mammals, input from these receptors is integrated at central rhythmogenic and pattern-forming elements in the medulla in a manner that meets the demands determined by the environment within the constraints of the behavior and breathing pattern of the animal. Also as in mammals, while outputs from areas in the midbrain may modulate respiration directly, they do not play a significant role in the production of the normal respiratory rhythm. However, despite these similarities, the breathing patterns of the two classes are different: mammals maintain homeostasis of arterial blood gases through rhythmic and continuous breathing, whereas amphibians display an intermittent pattern of aerial respiration. While the latter is also often rhythmic, it allows a degree of fluctuation in key respiratory variables that has led some to suggest that control is not as tight in these animals. In this review we will focus specifically on recent advances in studies of the control of ventilation in anuran amphibians. This is the group of amphibians that has attracted the most recent attention from respiratory physiologists. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ESTIVATION IN SOUTH-AMERICAN AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES

A number of amphibians and reptiles have cyclic behavior, becoming inactive with the coming of the dry season. In South America this pattern of activity is common, particularly in savannah-like vegetation. During the dry season amphibians burrow into the mud or soil, and either form a cocoon or increase the osmotic concentration of body fluids to reduce evaporative water loss. Some phyllomedusid tree frogs coat their body surface with skin secretion and excrete uric acid to minimize water loss. Reptiles also retreat into shelter deep enough to avoid temperature fluctuation during estivation or reduce metabolic response to temperature. Reduction of temperature sensitivity of the metabolism seems to be a strategy common to estivating amphibians and reptiles. Despite seasonal change of the environment, some species of reptiles are active all year round.

Cold Code: The global initiative to DNA barcode amphibians and nonavian reptiles

DNA barcoding facilitates the identification of species and the estimation of biodiversity by using nucleotide sequences, usually from the mitochondrial genome. Most studies accomplish this task by using the gene encoding cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI; Entrez COX1). Within this barcoding framework, many taxonomic initiatives exist, such as those specializing in fishes, birds, mammals, and fungi. Other efforts center on regions, such as the Arctic, or on other topics, such as health. DNA barcoding initiatives exist for all groups of vertebrates except for amphibians and nonavian reptiles. We announce the formation of Cold Code, the international initiative to DNA barcode all species of these 'cold-blooded' vertebrates. The project has a Steering Committee, Coordinators, and a home page. To facilitate Cold Code, the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences will sequence COI for the first 10 specimens of a species at no cost to the steward of the tissues. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Cryptic Genetic Diversity Is Paramount in Small-Bodied Amphibians of the Genus Euparkerella (Anura: Craugastoridae) Endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Checklist of Helminth parasites of Amphibians from South America

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Amphibians of grasslands in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil (Campos Sulinos)

Amphibian conservation depends on knowledge about species composition and distribution. This emphasizes the need for inventories, especially in poorly sampled areas. This is the case of Southern grasslands (Campos Sulinos) associated with Araucaria forest in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil. We sampled amphibians in 105 environments from 2004 to 2013 using transect sampling, active search and surveys at breeding sites. We found 61 anuran species and two caecilians. This is the first comprehensive list of amphibian species inhabiting grasslands in Paraná. This landscape deserves high conservation priority before these natural grasslands vanish.

Challenges of Invasive Reptiles and Amphibians

Although worldwide distributions of many amphibians and reptiles are declining, a handful of species are spreading rapidly throughout tropical regions of the world. The species that have the greatest effect tend to be generalist feeders, have high reproductive rates, attain large population sizes, and often due to their behavior and or small size, are easily transported or are difficult to detect. The most notable of these species include the coqui frog, cane toad, bullfrog, brown tree snake, and Burmese pythons. The effect of a few individuals typically is small but the combined effect of large populations can be devastating to ecological communities and agriculture. Currently, there are few methods available to effectively remove established populations. However, invasive species management capabilities are developing, with more effective methods in detecting incipient populations, improved control methods, more stringent restrictions on movement of nonnative animals, and increased public support.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in amphibians confiscated from illegal wildlife trade and used in an ex situ breeding program in Brazil

This paper describes an outbreak of chytridiomycosis affecting a group of Dendrobates tinctorius, a Neotropical anuran species, confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade and housed in a private zoo in Brazil as part of an ex situ breeding program. We examined histological sections of the skin of 30 D. tinctorius and 20 Adelphobates galactonotus individuals. Twenty D. tinctorius (66.7%) and none of the A. galactonotus were positive for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Multiple development stages of Bd infection were observed. The reasons for the interspecific difference in the rate of infection could not be determined, and further studies are advised. Because the examined population consisted of confiscated frogs, detailed epidemiological aspects could not be investigated, and the source of the fungus remains uncertain. The existence of ex situ amphibian populations is important for protecting species at higher risk in the wild, and ex situ amphibian conservation and breeding programs in Brazil may be established using confiscated frogs as founders. However, this paper alerts these programs to the urgency of strict quarantine procedures to prevent the introduction of potential pathogens, particularly Bd, into ex situ conservation programs.