Abstract:
Amphibians are more threatened than any other vertebrate class, yet evidence for many threats is missing. The Cape lowland fynbos (endemic scrub biome) is threatened by habitat loss, and natural temporary freshwater habitats are removed in favour of permanent impoundments. In this study, we determine amphibian assemblages across different freshwater habitat types with special attention to the presence of invasive fish. We find that anuran communities differ primarily by habitat type, with permanent water habitats having more widespread taxa, while temporary water bodies have more range restricted taxa. Invasive fish are found to have a significant impact on frogs with toads most tolerant of their presence. Temporary freshwater habitats are a conservation priority in the area, and their amphibian assemblages represent endemic taxa that are intolerant of invasive fish. Conservation of a biodiverse amphibian assemblage in lowland fynbos areas will rely on the creation of temporary freshwater habitats, rather than a northern hemisphere pond based solution.
摘要:
两栖动物比任何其他脊椎动物都受到更大的威胁,然而,许多威胁的证据不见了。低地角fynbos(地方性灌木丛生物群落)受到栖息地丧失的威胁,自然临时淡水栖息地被移除,有利于永久蓄水。在这项研究中,我们确定不同淡水栖息地类型的两栖动物组合,并特别注意入侵鱼类的存在。我们发现无生气群落主要因栖息地类型而异,永久的水栖息地有更广泛的分类单元,而临时水体有更多的范围限制类群。发现入侵鱼类对青蛙有重大影响,蟾蜍对它们的存在最宽容。临时淡水栖息地是该地区的保护重点,它们的两栖动物组合代表了对入侵鱼类不耐受的特有类群。在低地fynbos地区保护生物多样性的两栖动物组合将依赖于建立临时淡水栖息地,而不是基于北半球池塘的解决方案。