Report Project: Evaluation Amphibian Threatened in Key
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REPORT PROJECT: EVALUATION AMPHIBIAN THREATENED IN KEY SITE IN COLOMBIA Work Zone Colombia Country Researchers VICTOR FABIO LUNA MORA RICARDO ANDRES MEDINA RENGIFO MANUEL GILBERTO GUAYARA OSCAR GALLEGO CARVAJAL COLOMBIA 2009 pág. 1 INTRODUCTION Colombia has present 764 species of amphibians among frogs, caecilias and salamanders, being the country with the highest number of amphibian species per unit area, unfortunately, it is the country with the highest number of threatened species worldwide with about 208, whose distribution range is restricted and many depend on a single locality. Colombia is one of the privileged countries worldwide for its geographical position in the tropical belt, it is one of the most diverse countries worldwide, with a great variety of ecosystems and favorable habitats for the development of the herpetofauna. Considering this problem it was performed a proposal for the study of threatened species at national level, allowing assessing the population status, ecology, threats, and developing environmental education activities at the study site. In this study those fifteen species were chosen for study which are: Atelopus sonsonensis CR, Atopophrynus sintomopus CR, Pritimatis scoloblepharus EN, Pristimantis maculosus EN, Pristimantis lémur EN, Bolitoglossa hypacra VU, Atelopus nicefori CR, Atelopus carauta CR, Pristimantis polychrus EN, Atelopus nahumae CR, Atelopus laetissimus CR, Colostethus ruthveni EN, Pristimantis insignitus EN. Some of them are not reported by investigators from their original descriptions or years ago where some of them were abundant. Given the vacuum of information on amphibian species in our country and the need for development and creation of basic knowledge about them, the present work aims to assess the population status of 15 threatened species, while generating research about the ecology and biology of some frogs so rare and poorly studied. pág. 2 MAIN OBJECTIVES 1. Determine the current status and habitat requirements of amphibians threatened AZE sites. 2. Identify the threats of the species and their habitats for conservation priorities. 3. Analyze the views of local people and provide basic training for active participation in amphibian sampling techniques. 4. Implement environmental education campaigns aimed at local communities in endangered sites. 5. Preliminary design of an action plan for long-term conservation of amphibians and AZE sites threatened. STUDY AREA Zone 1. Natural Reserve of the Golden birds (Proaves), in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, located North of the Andes in the Caribbean, reaching an altitude of 5775 msnm. This area has marked endemic species of amphibians and fauna, in general. Zone 2-3. Located in the Cordillera Central. One of the most threatened and intervene ecosystems where it has cut more than 90% of the masses of native forests. The first site is located in the municipality of Sonsón department Antioquia in the rural reserve and the second site is in the municipality of Falan, department of Tolima. Zone 4. Located in the Natural Reserve of Hummingbird of the Sun (Proaves), in the municipality of Urrao, zone of confluence Pacifica and Andean with the West Mountain. In this area and in areas of the central mountains are the “Cloud Forests”, one of the ecosystems destroyed in Colombia. pág. 3 Figure 1. Study Sites. Source: Google Earth. pág. 4 METHODOLOGY The methodology of this study is divided in two parts, one part it will carry out with the local community, regional or government entities and the student population of the locations; the second consists on the development of the scientific study of the first phase of the project. Socialization Project The first approach was carried out with regional, governmental entities, and community action boards of the towns, it will be presented a detailed presentation of the developed project to them. Then it will make a presentation of project for timely reported of project progress to the entire community. Besides, a survey will be conducted to determine the state of knowledge of amphibians, habitat and threats at each study area. For the development of environmental education activities have been demarcated some key components for the amphibian conservation project: Identification of rural schools. Children from different grades. Environmental education workshops with children, youths and adults. Development of educational games Chats about nature, fauna and conservation The academic activities will be organized taking into account the academic grades in each school and the people in the activity, because the number of children in each grade varies by institution; these will be focused on knowledge and conservation of amphibians and some species of interest to the study area. Field Methods It first began to tour the study area and identify sites where are the four species of threatened amphibians. Then it will proceed to identify areas for establishing the study sites, transects and pitfall traps, with the following methodology: ESTIMATING POPULATION SIZE For population size estimation using the capture recapture method. Within the study site will be established six sampling places where they reported the the presence of the four species under study; in each place two transects of 100 meters it will be established which shall be inspected by gathering visual method (V.E.S) and acoustic transects. pág. 5 At each tour individuals found will be processed, take the necessary measures and take photographs of the patterns of dorsal and ventral coloration for their later identification at recapture. Each one of the sites will be inspected in sequence one days per site. The tours for diurnal species will take place from 7:00 -11:00 and for nocturnal species from 18:00 to 23:00. ACOUSTIC TRANSECTS This technique consists on counting the males are vocalizing along transects previously established by the VES method, allowing for further information of the species under study, allowing to count species that are not visible but which are audible in the transects SAMPLING OF LARVAE Through strainers or small networks will be caught larvae of some anuran species to determine their state of development and their abundance in the body of water, some species will be kept in small containers of assisted ventilation to observe their behavior and development. ESTABLISHMENT OF PITFALL TRAPS This method will be a complement of the methodology used. The establishment of traps will be in strategic places where it can be presumed to have a greater chance of finding the species and where ground conditions are optimal (ie close to bodies of water). It will be used two kinds of pitfall traps for this type of study, the first is Y-shaped and the second is a linear (figures 2 a,b). PITFALL TRAPS Y-SHAPED PITFALL TRAPS LINEAR Figure 2. Modified from Lips, 2001 BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL To avoid the bad handling of animals and the infection with diseases such as fungus Chytridio that is declining amphibian populations around the world, we are doing the biosafety protocol for handling amphibians in field pág. 6 RESULTADOS VISUAL ENCOUNTER (V.E.S) In the four study areas in Colombia (Municipality Sonson -Antioquia, Municipality Urrao- Antioquia Nature Reserve Hummingbird of the Sun, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta -Magdalena ural Reserves of the the Golden birds El Dorado, Municipality Falan-Tolima was found about 46 species of amphibians belonging to 3 orders, 12 families, 21 genus and the order with the largest number of families, genus and species was the order Anura with about 90% of the species found in study, were more abundant in our country with about 714 of the 764 sp sp amphibian, making Colombia the country with highest number of amphibian species per unit area in the world (Figure 3 and Table 1). Figure 3. Distribution of amphibian species in the study sites Source: Authors pág. 7 Order Family Genus Specie Status AROMOBATIDAE Rheobates Rheobates palmatus LC Atelopus Atelopus nahumae CR* Atelopus laetissimus CR* BUFONIDAE Rhinella Rhinella granulosa LC Rhinella marina LC Rhinella gr margaritifera LC Rhinella sp 1 LC CENTROLENIDAE Centrolene Centrolene grandisonae LC Centrolene tayrona VU* Cochranella Cochranella punctulata VU* Cochranella susatamai VU* Cochranella sp LC CRAUGASTORIDAE Craugastor Craugastor raniformis LC CRYPTOBATRACHIDAE Cryptobatrachus Cryptobatrachus boulengeri EN* DENDROBATIDAE Colostethus Colostethus fraterdanielli LC Colostethus ruthveni EN* ANURA Dendrobates Dendrobates truncatus LC Ranitomeya Ranitomeya dorisswansonae CR* Ranitomeya tolimense EN* Dendrosophus Dendropsophus columbianus LC Dendropsophus bogerti LC HYLIDAE Hyloscirtus Hyloscirtus larinopygion NT Hypsiboas Hypsiboas pugnax LC Hypsiboas rufitelus LC Scinax Scinax sp LC Smilisca Smilisca phaeota LC LEIUPERIDAE Engystomops Engystomops pustulosus LC LECTODACTYLIDAE Leptodactylus Leptodactylus fuscus LC Geobatrachus Geobatrachus walkeri EN* Pristimantis Pristimantis aemulatus DD Pristimantis carmelitae DD Pristimantis cristinae DD Pristimantis fallax EN* STRABOMANTIDAE Pristimantis insignitus EN* Pristimantis megalops NT Pristimantis ruthveni EN* Pristimantis sanctaemartae NT Pristimantis tayrona NT Pristimantis viridis NT Pristimantis sp 1 NT Pristimantis sp 2 NT pág. 8 CAUDATA PLETHODONTIDAE Bolitoglossa Bolitoglossa hypacra VU* Bolitoglossa ramosi LC Bolitoglossa savagei DD Bolitoglossa sp NT GYMNOPHIONA CAECILIDAE Caecilia Caecilia sp NT Table 1. Species collected in the field phase. * Species with some degree of threat. Sources