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The Brazilian Amphibian Conservation Action Plan

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Alytes, 2012, 29 (1¢4): 27-42. 27 A leap further: the Brazilian Amphibian Conservation Action Plan Vanessa K. Verdadea, Paula H. Valdujob, Ana Carolina Carnavalc, Luis Schiesarid, Luís Felipe Toledoe, Tami Mottf, Gilda V. Andradeg, Paula C. Eterovickh, Marcelo Menini, Bruno V. S. Pimentaj, Cristiano Nogueirak, Cybele S. Lisboal, m n Cátia D.dePaula & Débora L. Silvano 2, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Av. dos Estados 5001, 09210-971, Santo André, SP, Brazil b Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de São Paulo, R. do Matão, trav. 14, 321, 05508-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil c Department of Biology, City University of New York, Marshak Science Building, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031, USA d Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Arlindo Bétio 1000, 03828-080, São Paulo, SP, Brazil e Museu de Zoologia ‘‘Prof. Adão José Cardoso’’, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 13083-863, Campinas, SP, Brazil f Departamento de Biologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, R. Fernando Corrêa da Costa 2367, 78060-900, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil g Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Av. dos Portugueses s/n, 65085-580, São Luis, MA, Brazil h Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Av. Dom José Gaspar 500, 30535-610, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil i Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Av. General Rodrigo Otávio Jordão Ramos 3000, 69077-000, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil j Bicho do Mato Meio Ambiente Ltda. /Bicho do Mato Instituto de Pesquisa, Rua Perdigão Malheiros 222, 30380234, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil k Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, 70910-900, Brasília, DF, Brazil l Fundação Parque Zoológico de São Paulo, Av. Miguel Stefano 4241, 04301-905, São Paulo, SP, Brazil m Lapcom, Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, 05508-270, São Paulo, SP, Brazil n Laboratório de Zoologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Campus I, Q.S. 07 Lote 01 EPCT, 71966-700, Taguatinga, DF, Brazil; <[email protected]> Brazil has a fundamental role in amphibian conservation, harboring the highest amphibian species richness in the world and a large number of endemics. Here, we present an overview of the Brazilian Amphibian Conser- vation Action Plan (BACAP), which is still being developed by Brazilian herpetologists. Basic research ¢ particularly species inventories, taxonomic revisions and the collection of field data ¢ are urgently needed to guide amphibian conservation in the country. Documentation and monitoring of amphibian richness has improved, at least at regional scales. Lists of threatened species are regularly updated, efforts to standardize field work protocols are being attempted and captive breeding is being considered as a research and educational tool. We also present a short history of the BACAP, identify some of the challenges tied to its implementation, and review a few but important recent achievements. 1 Corresponding author. 28 ALYTES 29 (1¢4) Introduction Brazil has a fundamental role in amphibian conservation at regional and global scales. The country harbors the highest amphibian species richness in the world (almost 900 species described to date; Anonymous, 2010a¢b), and is well-known for having more endemic species of amphibians than any country in the Neotropics (534 endemic species, representing 67 % of the total number of species recorded nationally; Anonymous, 2010a). Given the large number of species and the proportionally small, yet growing scientific community, it is not surprising that knowledge about the natural history and geographical range of Brazilian amphibians remains sparse. This information gap is reflected in the high percentage of Data Deficient (DD) Brazilian species (252 species, almost 30 % of all Brazilian amphibians), according to IUCN’s criteria (Anonymous, 2010a). The most recent revision of the Brazilian list of threatened amphibians recognized 15 species under some degree of threat, 90 DD taxa, and one extinct species (Anonymous, 2003). The first global initiative to assess the extinction risk and conservation status of amphi- bians, the Global Amphibian Assessment, communicated the urgent need to take conserva- tion measures to protect amphibian species worldwide (Young et al., 2001, 2004). The Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (ACAP) was designed to address this need (Gascon et al., 2007). The elaboration of the global ACAP prompted Brazilian herpetologists to create a national plan, following the ACAP guidelines. Congregated at the Third Brazilian Congress of Herpetology in 2007, a group of herpetologists began the delineation of the Brazilian Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (BACAP). A first unpublished version, not yet conclu- ded, was produced in 2010. Here we present a summary of the plan, its achievements, difficulties, opportunities, and prospects for future work. The final version of the BACAP is planned to be concluded and publicly available in 2012 through the Brazilian Society of Herpetology’s (SBH) web page. Primary data: assessment of amphibian diversity in Brazil Comprehensive taxonomic revisions, geographical range assessments and demographic studies are the most fundamental science to assess species status, evaluate declines or extinctions, and define key priorities for establishing protected areas (Brooks et al., 2004; Eken et al., 2004). Brazilian specialists agree that local amphibian species richness, taxonomy, geographic ranges, natural history and population status are vastly understudied in our country (Pimenta et al., 2005; Silvano &Segalla, 2005; Verdade et al., in press). The first step to inventory Brazilian amphibian species richness requires the compilation of an open-access national database that will synthesize available taxonomic, geographic, and natural history information about local species, following other worldwide initiatives (e.g., Global Biodiversity Information Facility; Namibian Biodiversity Database; Yukon Biodiver- sity Database). This is pivotal to support conservation policies and to define priorities for future biological research (Brooks et al., 2004; Funk et al., 2005). Three main categories of Verdade & et al. 29 data should feed this database: natural history and ecological data resulting from field work and supported by voucher specimens; data extracted directly from zoological collections following verification of species determination (Graham et al., 2004); and literature data. This database must be constantly updated based on new inventories and research programs. A team of specialists coordinated by the SBH will be responsible for creating and updating the database. The essential role of voucher specimens makes collection-bearing institutions central to this national database initiative. Brazil harbors important and representative zoological collections (Peixoto, 2003). Yet, several collection records are still to be explored, and most collections have yet to be digitized. Given the shortage of technical assistance, Brazilian collection managers are frequently overloaded by curatorial work. Keeping up with mainte- nance, requests and recent taxonomic updates has been a challenge in most institutions. Given the number of unidentified or misidentified specimens in Brazilian collections (see Pimenta et al., 2008 for the impact of this situation in species range and conservation assessments), there is an urgent need to revise, organize, synthesize and update collection records, as well as update their facilities. We must invest in security procedures and infrastructure to avoid other tragedies such as the recent loss of the renowned herpetological collection of Instituto Butantan to a fire. This can only be achieved through collaborations among Brazilian collection managers, taxonomists and government. Despite the large amount of information available in zoological collections and litera- ture, a significant portion of the Brazilian territory remains unsampled or under-sampled. Species are still being described from areas that were well-inventoried in the past (e.g., Alves et al., 2009; Targino et al., 2009; Weber et al., 2011). Yet, when abundant enough, data from regions of reported declines reveal two major problems: (1) a few populations considered as ‘‘under decline’’ by previous studies are not, in fact, declining (e.g., Pimenta et al., 2008); (2) several declines and local extinctions may have gone undetected so far (Eterovick et al., 2005). In the case of persistent populations, data on natural demographic fluctuations in Brazil are limited to qualitative observations by local herpetologists and field notes, leading to a paucity of background data. Because fluctuations in population sizes are common in amphi- bians (Green, 2003; Keiser, 2008), monitoring surveys must be carried out for multiple years (ten or more) to differentiate drastic but natural fluctuations from real population declines (Hayes &Steidl, 1997). In the case of declines, voucher specimens can be collected to enable further investigations such as pathogen presence or physiological syndromes (Pellet & Schmidt, 2005). Although the methods employed to monitor amphibian assemblages and populations may be adapted according to particularities of bioregions, sites and taxa, it is desirable to standardize parameters across studies (Silveira et al., 2010). Establishing well-defined and replicable monitoring methods
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  • Ecological Functions of Neotropical Amphibians and Reptiles: a Review

    Ecological Functions of Neotropical Amphibians and Reptiles: a Review

    Univ. Sci. 2015, Vol. 20 (2): 229-245 doi: 10.11144/Javeriana.SC20-2.efna Freely available on line REVIEW ARTICLE Ecological functions of neotropical amphibians and reptiles: a review Cortés-Gomez AM1, Ruiz-Agudelo CA2 , Valencia-Aguilar A3, Ladle RJ4 Abstract Amphibians and reptiles (herps) are the most abundant and diverse vertebrate taxa in tropical ecosystems. Nevertheless, little is known about their role in maintaining and regulating ecosystem functions and, by extension, their potential value for supporting ecosystem services. Here, we review research on the ecological functions of Neotropical herps, in different sources (the bibliographic databases, book chapters, etc.). A total of 167 Neotropical herpetology studies published over the last four decades (1970 to 2014) were reviewed, providing information on more than 100 species that contribute to at least five categories of ecological functions: i) nutrient cycling; ii) bioturbation; iii) pollination; iv) seed dispersal, and; v) energy flow through ecosystems. We emphasize the need to expand the knowledge about ecological functions in Neotropical ecosystems and the mechanisms behind these, through the study of functional traits and analysis of ecological processes. Many of these functions provide key ecosystem services, such as biological pest control, seed dispersal and water quality. By knowing and understanding the functions that perform the herps in ecosystems, management plans for cultural landscapes, restoration or recovery projects of landscapes that involve aquatic and terrestrial systems, development of comprehensive plans and detailed conservation of species and ecosystems may be structured in a more appropriate way. Besides information gaps identified in this review, this contribution explores these issues in terms of better understanding of key questions in the study of ecosystem services and biodiversity and, also, of how these services are generated.