Influence of the environmental heterogeneity of breeding ponds on anuran assemblages from southeastern Brazil

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (8) ◽  
pp. 699-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. S. Vasconcelos ◽  
T. G. Santos ◽  
D. C. Rossa-Feres ◽  
C.F.B Haddad
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
High Beta

We hypothesized that the environmental heterogeneity of breeding ponds influences the species composition and species richness of anuran assemblages from southeastern Brazil, because it provides humidity, shelter, and breeding microhabitats for anuran species, which can result in an increasing number of species in a given habitat. To begin, we tested whether the occurrence of anuran species in each breeding pond is different from a null model of random placement of species in those ponds. We then performed two tests to evaluate which of the five environmental descriptors of breeding ponds influence (1) the species composition and (2) species richness. Species composition of the 38 breeding ponds was correlated with number of edge types, number of plant types along the edges of the breeding ponds, and the hydroperiod. Neither the percentage of vegetation cover on the water’s surface nor the size of the breeding ponds were correlated with species composition. Only the number of edge types was correlated with species richness of breeding ponds. The correlation of three environmental descriptors with species composition and one environmental descriptor with species richness, as well as the high beta diversity among breeding ponds, suggest that the analyses of environmental heterogeneity on species composition was more informative than was the analysis for species richness, because breeding ponds with similar species richness can have distinct species composition among them (high beta diversity).

scholarly journals Species composition and similarities among anuran assemblages of forest sites in southeastern Brazil

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 364-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Bertoluci ◽  
Ricardo Augusto Brassaloti ◽  
José Wagner Ribeiro Júnior ◽  
Vívian Maria de Faria Nasser Vilela ◽  
Henrique Oliveira Sawakuchi
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Neotropical Forests ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Complementary Techniques ◽  
Data Deficient

Neotropical forests show high anuran species richness, but some Brazilian forest formations, like cerradão, semideciduous forests and restingas, remain poorly known. The composition of anuran species were determined for four forest sites belonging to different biomes in southeastern Brazil, based on two complementary techniques (visual encounter survey and survey on breeding sites), both applied simultaneously. A total of 60 anuran species belonging to eight families was recorded. Species richness and levels of endemism were higher in the Atlantic rainforest site. Sites located in the Cerrado domain were more alike than those located in the Atlantic Forest Domain. Similarity in anuran species composition was negatively correlated to the geographical distance among sites, which explains part of similarities in species composition. Factors affecting these occurrence patterns are discussed. One species (if its identity is confirmed) is considered Data Deficient by IUCN (The World Conservation Union), though it is not included in the Brazilian list of threatened amphibians. The presence of certain species with special habitats and microclimate requirements (bioindicators) suggests well-preserved ecosystems.

scholarly journals High beta diversity among small islands is due to environmental heterogeneity rather than ecological drift

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 2252-2261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinliang Liu ◽  
Mark Vellend ◽  
Zuhua Wang ◽  
Mingjian Yu
Keyword(s):  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Small Islands ◽  
High Beta ◽  
Ecological Drift

scholarly journals Composition and diversity of anurans in the Restinga of the Conde municipality, northern coast of the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe Augusto Trindade Gondim-Silva ◽  
Alessandra Rodrigues Santos Andrade ◽  
Rafael Oliveira Abreu ◽  
Jamile Santos Nascimento ◽  
Geovane Paixão Corrêa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
The State ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Freshwater Wetland ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
Anuran Species

Abstract The Conde municipality is located in the northern coast of the state of Bahia (NC), northeastern Brazil, and is part of the Atlantic Tropical domain. The anuran fauna of the northern portion of the NC is still poorly known if compared to the southern portion. The Restinga is one of the predominant environments of the coastal plains of the NC and it is characterized essentially by presenting sandy soil covered by herbaceous and shrubby vegetation. The objective of this study was to determine the anuran species composition and diversity for the Restinga of the Conde municipality. Sampling was carried out at night by active search over four periods of five consecutive days each, two over the 'main rainy season' and two in a 'lesser rainy season', using 14 sample units (SUs) and five extra sample plots (EPs). We calculated dominance and species diversity using the Berger-Parker and Shannon-Wiener H' indices, respectively. We used accumulation curves and the Jackknife 1 estimator to estimate anuran species richness, considering only the data obtained from the SUs. We recorded 713 anuran specimens distributed within 33 species, 13 genera and five families (Bufonidae, Craugastoridae, Hylidae, Leptodactylidae and Microhylidae). The Hylidae and Leptodactylidae families had the highest species richness. Considering only the SUs (Jackknife 1 estimator in brackets), we recorded 28 species in the study area (33.9 ± 2.3), 13 in Shrubby Vegetation Zones - SVZ (20.8 ± 2.9) and 25 in Freshwater Wetland Zones - FWZ (28.9 ± 1.9). The abundance and species diversity of the FWZ (n = 638 specimens; H'= 2.4) were higher than those recorded for the SVZ (n = 52 specimens; H' = 1.9). The SVZ and FWZ showed distinct dominant species, wherein Pristimantis paulodutrai was the dominant species in SVZ and Scinax fuscomarginatus in FWZ. The Restinga of the Conde municipality stands out as the one with the highest anuran species richness already recorded considering only SVZ and FWZ. Moreover, its anuran species composition represented 55% of the anuran species known for the NC and included taxa common to three different morphoclimatic domains (Tropical Atlantic, Cerrado and Caatinga).

Influence of vegetation heterogeneity and landscape characteristics on anuran species composition in aquatic habitats along an urban-rural gradient in southeastern Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 235-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrício Hiroiuki Oda ◽  
Sidnei Gonçalves ◽  
Thiago Massao Oda ◽  
Lara Carolina Raphael Tschope ◽  
André Luiz Fraga Briso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Aquatic Habitats ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Vegetation Heterogeneity ◽  
Urban Rural

scholarly journals Use of habitats by non-volant small mammals in Cerrado in Central Brazil

2012 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 893-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Santos-Filho ◽  
F. Frieiro-Costa ◽  
ÁRA. Ignácio ◽  
MNF. Silva
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Monodelphis Domestica ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Gallery Forest ◽  
Central Brazil ◽  
Small Mammal Community ◽  
Forested Areas

Non-volant small mammals are organisms capable of yielding precise information on richness, abundance and species composition variations related to the use of habitats. The aim of this research was to compare these variations in Cerrado sensu stricto, Palm Forest, Gallery Forest and Rocky Field. From May 1999 to February 2000, we surveyed non-volant small mammals (hence small mammals) in Serra das Araras Ecological Station. We captured 218 individuals and recaptured 62 individuals, belonging to 21 taxa, 13 rodents and eight marsupials, in a total of 13200 trap-nights. Capture success was 1.7%. We observed higher richness of small mammals in forested areas (Gallery Forest and Palm Forest) than in open areas (Rocky Field and Cerrado sensu stricto). The Palm Forest had the highest richness of marsupials, possibly due to the quality of a specific niche. The Rocky Field had the smallest richness, but with very high abundance of few species, mainly Thrichomys pachyurus and Monodelphis domestica. Forest habitats had similar species composition. The open habitats, Cerrado sensu stricto and Rocky Field, had a distinct species composition between them, and also when compared to forested areas. Different species are exclusive or showed preference for specific habitats. The protection of horizontally heterogeneous biomes, such as Cerrado, has a fundamental importance to the maintenance of the regional diversity of the small mammal community of Central Brazil.

scholarly journals Seasonality drives herbaceous community beta diversity in lithologically different rocky outcrops in Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 153 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaquelina A. Nunes ◽  
Pedro M. Villa ◽  
Andreza V. Neri ◽  
Wesley A. Silva ◽  
Carlos E.G.R. Schaefer
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Control Process ◽  
Herbaceous Species ◽  
Herbaceous Communities ◽  
Rocky Outcrops ◽  
Richness Patterns

Background and aims – Seasonality exerts strong controlling forces on species diversity in herbaceous species communities, however, this control process remains poorly understood in tropical lithologically different rocky outcrops. We aim to investigate the effect of seasonality and the variability of soil properties on changes in the herbaceous species richness and species composition of two different herbaceous species communities on rocky outcrops in Brazil. We hypothesize that seasonality, determined by variation in precipitation, and soil fertility, determined by variability in nutrient-related soil properties, drives species diversity (i.e., richness and beta diversity) patterns of herbaceous communities at local scale.Methods – To investigate how the variation between dry and wet seasons affects species richness and beta diversity, we studied plots on rocky outcrops of Iron Quadrangle (40 plots, 1 × 1 m) and Carajás (20 plots, 1 × 1 m). Key results – We observed similar richness patterns between seasons, without significant differences between sites, using rarefaction and extrapolation curves. However, we observed significant differences in beta diversity between seasons. Our results indicate that seasonality determines the temporal variation of the herbaceous species composition, but not species richness. Likewise, our tested models indicated that seasonality shape beta diversity in the studied rocky outcrops. Conclusions – The predictable seasonal precipitation is closely related to the community composition on this type of rocky outcrop formation, where there typically is a marked seasonal water deficit pattern, with increased deficit during the dry season. We presume that seasonality is an important driver in determining plant community assembly at local scale on the studied rocky outcrops.

Spatial patterns of species richness and taxonomic composition of polychaetes along the Baja California Peninsula, Eastern Pacific

2017 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 1037-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Hernández-Alcántara ◽  
Diana Melissa Cuéllar-Mercado ◽  
Adriana Barbosa-López ◽  
Vivianne Solís-Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Baja California ◽  
Baja California Peninsula ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Diversity Pattern ◽  
Faunal Assemblages ◽  
Distribution Ranges ◽  
Local Sampling

Spatial variations of polychaetes along the Baja California Peninsula continental shelf were analysed in two ways: (1) by evaluating the species richness and defining the faunal assemblages from local sampling, and (2) by characterizing the latitudinal variation of beta-diversity based on the distribution of all polychaetes reported up to now. Twenty-seven stations from three oceanographic expeditions were sampled, and 2858 individuals from 38 families and 231 species were identified. Polychaetes were abundant (mean = 37.5 ind 0.1 m−2) and diversified (mean = 15 species station−1). Differences in species composition defined seven faunal assemblages, but their number of species did not show significant latitudinal changes. The beta-diversity analysis was based on distribution data of 730 species from 47 families. The presence of a group of islands in the middle Gulf could have a negative effect on the species distribution, since the lowest values of βT-diversity (0.39) were found in the northern Gulf, but their species were different from those recorded in the central region. The wide variation in βT-diversity (0.5–0.87) showed latitudinal changes in the species composition, mainly in the Gulf mouth (0.86–0.87), which indicated that the fauna inside the Gulf was different from that inhabiting the Pacific coasts. The ICE and Chao2 estimators showed that the polychaetes in the study area are relatively well known (>80%), and that most species (415) have small distribution ranges. The effects of these infrequent species were similar at each latitudinal band, which suggested that the observed βT-diversity pattern could represent a suitable estimation.

scholarly journals Influence of Environmental Heterogeneity on the Species Composition, Species Richness and Species Abundances Unevenness in Reef-associated Conus Communities (Neogastropoda) from Papua New-Guinea

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Jean Béguinot
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Jaccard Index ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Fundamental Issue ◽  
Marine Communities ◽  
Surrounding Environment ◽  
Species Abundances

To what extent differences in species composition, species richness and species abundance unevenness between marine communities are attributable to heterogeneities of the surrounding environment and/or to inter-community distance is a fundamental issue to be addressed, in order to more deeply understand the functioning of marine ecosystems. A comparison between six reef-associated Conus communities, differing more or less in both their surrounding environment and their mutual geographical distance, offers a relevant opportunity to address these questions. As expected, environmental heterogeneities prove having a significant influence on the dissimilarity in species composition, whereas distance-decay in similarity reveals comparatively negligible, at least within the investigated range of distances, up to 60 km. Less expectedly, more homogeneous surrounding environments between communities tend, here, to increase the dissimilarity in species richness. At last, here, difference in species abundance unevenness between communities seems unrelated to either environmental heterogeneity or inter-community distance. From a methodological point of view, these results could not have been reliably established without the prior implementation of a least-biased procedure of numerical extrapolation applied to the available incomplete samplings. Also, the relevant assessment of dissimilarity in species composition required using a modified Jaccard index, rendered insensitive to bias-induced differences in communities species richness.

scholarly journals Floristic composition, structure and soil-vegetation relations in three white-sand soil patches in central Amazonia

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Layon Oreste DEMARCHI ◽  
Veridiana Vizoni SCUDELLER ◽  
Livia Carvalho MOURA ◽  
Randolpho Gonçalves DIAS-TERCEIRO ◽  
Aline LOPES ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
White Sand ◽  
Composition Structure

ABSTRACT The Amazonian white-sand vegetation presents a set of unique features, such as the dominance of a few species, high endemism and low species richness, which differentiate it from other Amazonian forests. Soil parameters have long been recognized as the main drivers of white-sand vegetation (WSV) characteristics. However, how they influence the composition, richness and structure of this vegetation type is still poorly understood. In this study we investigated the variation in floristic composition between patches and the soil-vegetation relations in three central Amazonian WSV patches. We tested whether slight differences in soil properties are linked with differences in floristic composition, species richness and forest structure in adjacent patches. In each patch three plots of 50 x 50 m were sampled (a total of 2.25 ha). Soil samples were collected for each plot. The sampling cutoff for arboreal individuals was DBH ≥ 5 cm. We sampled a total of 3956 individuals belonging to 40 families and 140 species. In each patch only a few species were dominant, but the dominant species varied among patches. Differences among patches were significant, but plots in the same patch tended to have similar species composition. The variable sum of bases (SB) was directly related to species composition, however, species richness and forest structure were not related to soil parameters. Even small variations in soil parameters can change species composition in WSV, although these variations do not necessarily influence the richness and other structural parameters.

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