Article
1 January 2017
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An international, peer-reviewed journal focusing on the different scales of biodiversity and ecology within Neotropics to promote conservation and sustainable management of the region's unique ecosystems and biological richness. Neotropical biodiversity is the official journal of the Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam.
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- Article1 January 2019
Structure and regional representativeness of the herpetofauna from Parque Estadual da Serra de Caldas Novas, Cerrado, Central Brazil
Amphibians and reptiles are diversified in the Cerrado biome but have been threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as lack of understanding of their distribution. Therefore, collection and organization of information about species in natural environments are essential for conservation, especially in Protected areas (PAs) and their adjacent zones. We present information about the composition and structure of the herpetofauna from Parque Estadual da Serra de Caldas Novas (PESCAN) and its representativeness in comparison to other PAs in the Cerrado. Fieldwork was conducted in 12 sampling sites from February 2009 to February 2010, using active search and pitfall traps. We recorded 41 species of amphibians, with greatest richness in sites with open vegetation and water bodies. Reptiles were represented by 32 species, with the greatest species richness in cerrado open environments. Both amphibian and reptile communities were more similar to those from geographically closer PAs and located in the central region of the Cerrado (State of Goiás and Distrito Federal). The PESCAN holds 24.85% and 17.98% of amphibians and reptiles species occurring in Cerrado PAs, respectivelly. This large representativeness and the high number of endemisms (18 amphibians and 7 reptiles) emphasize the importance of the PESCAN, together with other PAs, for the maintenance of regional biodiversity. In addition, we also encourage researches evaluating amphibian and reptile communities outside PAs, such as legal reserves, and we suggest new approaches to study the biodiversity of protected areas. - Research Article1 January 2020
An island invaded by exotics: a review of freshwater fish in Puerto Rico
The introduction of exotic fishes in streams and water reservoirs has modified autochthonous freshwater fish communities in Puerto Rico. There are approximately 46 fish species in inland waters, and most of them were introduced during the last century. We here summarize relevant information on 46 freshwater fish species reported for the island. Approximately 80% of the species are non-native. An evaluation of the local trade revealed another 128 freshwater fish species are sold locally as pets. This raises serious concerns, as we detected a potential pool of non-native species that are either considered invasive elsewhere, or that, based on their ecology, could become invasive on the island in the near future. We also found that cichlids as a group pose the highest risk to freshwater ecosystems, with 13 species established in the wild, and another 38 potential invaders in the local pet trade. This study may be used as a baseline for the conservation and management purposes of both native and non-native fish species, including the development of strategies for preventing the release of live fish pets into the wild. More specific management for non-native fish, especially those identified here that pose significant threats to Puerto Rico’s native fish and their ecosystems, are warranted. - Research Article31 December 2022
Natural history of Odonata assemblages in tropical streams in Puerto Rico
Freshwater macroinvertebrates play an important role in maintaining stream food webs. Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) are important top predators in these communities and serve as indicators of stream health. Our understanding of odonate assemblages is limited in the Caribbean and the natural history of most odonate species in the region remains unknown. The focus of this research is to study the natural history of odonate species in headwater montane streams following major hurricane impacts in Puerto Rico. We monitored assemblages from August 2018 to July 2019 in two headwater streams within El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico. The study streams drain a protected forest, with aseasonal precipitation patterns, relatively constant water temperature, and flashy hydrographs that quickly respond to rain events. We sampled 226 adults and 550 larvae, dominated by three Caribbean endemics: Scapanea frontalis, Macrothemis celeno, and Telebasis vulnerata. Only S. frontalis and M. celeno were abundant enough to assess the temporal patterns and their natural history. Larval density fluctuated throughout the year with short peaks in abundance during different times of the year, according to the species. Small individuals (≤10 mm body length) were more abundant than the large ones. However, all size classes were present during the year. The dominant species, S. frontalis and M. celeno, had continuous development patterns, without identifiable size classes and multiple overlapping generations. The exception was the last stadium that formed a separate group in the body length vs head width plots. Species had clear habitat preferences; S. frontalis was abundant in riffles and preferred areas with high amounts of cobble. Macrothemis celeno prefers pool habitats with fine substrates. While we found trends for negative relations between abundance and discharge, canopy cover, water temperature, and rainfall, none was statistically significant. Observed patterns suggest a lack of strong temporal seasonality in the natural history of Odonata, which coincides with the aseasonal environment of streams draining our study area. Overall, our study is the first to assess temporal variability of Odonata assemblages in montane streams of Puerto Rico and provides information on Caribbean endemic species. - Research Article1 January 2021
Herpetofauna of the Reserva de la Biósfera Estación Biológica del Beni and the Chimane Reserve Indigenous Territory, Bolivia
Identifying patterns of herpetofaunal diversity is imperative to the conservation of these species and the ecosystems on which they rely. In this study, we determined species occurrence and composition of the herpetofauna at the Reserva de Biósfera Estación Biológica del Beni and the Chimane Reserve Indigenous Territory. Combined data resulted in documentation of 97 species belonging to 22 families and 50 genera. Reptiles were represented by 14 families and 47 species, while amphibians were represented by eight families and 50 species. This study provides a robust inventory and report of the herpetofauna at this site and delivers data that can be used in future studies. Our results indicate that this site harbors many species, which likely contributes to the collective maintenance of biodiversity in the Bolivian lowlands. Conservation initiatives should consider the collective uniqueness of vertebrate communities maintained by habitat mosaics in this area and strive to implement strategies that preserve and manage landscape-level biodiversity. - Article30 November 2018
Diversity of the dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) in an altitudinal gradient in the east slope of los Andes, Napo province, Ecuador
We present a preliminary analysis of the diversity of dung beetles in an altitudinal gradient on the East slope of Los Andes, Napo province, Ecuador. We sampled 12 localities within a 2200-m altitudinal gradient (400–2600 m a.s.l.) using pitfall traps with 2 different baits. We registered 2215 individuals distributed within 14 genera and 54 species. Ontherus pubens was the most abundant species, with registers in 10 locations that cover an altitudinal gradient of 2021 m. We also found species associated to low, medium, and high elevation levels, as well as species located on either extreme of the altitudinal gradient. The most abundant genus was Onthophagus, and the most speciose Uroxys. This survey provides 14 new registers for the Napo province and 5 novel registers for Ecuador. We present a detailed list of the species present in the Napo province with their distribution ranges, relocation guilds, and food resource preferences.