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opennotspecifiedAug 2024View details →

African Amphibian Lifedesk (myspecies): African Amphibians

Temporary copy, due to harvest problem with original

opennotspecifiedAug 2024View details →

Arctic Biodiversity: Arctic Amphibians and Reptiles (.xls)

Biogeography and other attributes for Arctic organisms, various sources.

opennotspecifiedAug 2024View details →

Amphibians and Reptiles of the Philippines (philbreo LD): Amphibians and Reptiles of the Philippines (331) DwCA

Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.

FIG. 1 in Effects of Secondary Forest Succession on Amphibians and Reptiles: A Review and Meta-analysis

FIG. 1. Map of percent of primary forest (black) and other naturally regenerated or planted forests (white) as defined by FAO (2015) by continent.

FIG. 4 in Effects of Secondary Forest Succession on Amphibians and Reptiles: A Review and Meta-analysis

FIG. 4. Published estimates of time to recovery (years) of amphibian and reptile species richness. Arrow under Petranka et al. (1994) indicates that more than 80 years were required for species richness to recover.

FIG. 3 in Effects of Secondary Forest Succession on Amphibians and Reptiles: A Review and Meta-analysis

FIG. 3. The age distribution of forest included in 20 of the published articles included in the meta-analysis. Four studies did not provide information on secondary forest age.

FIG. 2 in Effects of Secondary Forest Succession on Amphibians and Reptiles: A Review and Meta-analysis

FIG. 2. Map of study sites included in meta-analysis by country. Black dots indicate the study locations. Points jittered in the northwestern United States to show overlapping locations.

opencc-by-nc-4.0Apr 2024View details →

Data and codes from: Orchards and paddy differentially impact rock outcrop amphibians: Insights from community- and species-level responses

<div> <div> This project contains data and codes from a study investigating the responses of rock outcrop amphibians to land-use change in the lateritic plateaus of the northern Western Ghats, at the community-level and at species-level. Species Coverage: Duttaphrynus melanostictus, Euphlyctis jaladhara, Hoplobatrachus tigerinus, Minervarya cepfi, Minervarya gomantaki, Minervarya syhadrensis, Sphaerotheca dobsonii, Gegeneophis seshachari, Microhyla nilphamariensis, Uperodon mormoratus, Hydrophylax bahuvistara, Polypedates maculatus. Geographic Coverage: Bakale, Devache Gothane, Devi Hasol and Gaonkhadi plateus of Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra State, India. (16°31’–16°48’N; 73°19–73°29’E) Temporal Coverage: June, July, August, September (2022).   Methods: <div> <div> Nighttime belt (100 × 6 m2) transect surveys were conducted (four temporal replicates), and at each 20 m point during each temporal replicate, in a 3-m radius circular subplot, the observer recorded the microhabitat variables. We calculated pool volume by multiplying the pool depth with the length (longest dimension) and width (second longest dimension) of the pool. We calculated stream cross-sectional volume within the subplot by multiplying the maximum depth and subplot diameter. The percentages of woody vegetation, flush vegetation, and grass cover were visually estimated. The finest level of spatial data was at the subplot level, which is the 20× 6 m2 segment of the transect and the associated circular plot from where we collected the amphibian abundance and microhabitat data respectively. For details about the microhabitat variables associated descriptions and untis, refer to the preprint and supplementary materials (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.03.560737" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.03.560737</a> ). </div> </div>   Funding: <ol> <li>On the Edge (UK)</li> <li>The Habitats Trust (India)</li> <li>The Bombay Environmental Action Group (India)</li> </ol>   </div> </div>

restrictedcc-by-4.0Oct 2024View details →

Data from: The extent of amphibian, fish and water plant translocations by garden pond owners

To determine how frequently garden pond owners translocate plants, amphibians or fish between their ponds and natural areas, and over what distances, we set out a survey. The 2023 survey was designed in LimeSurvey and consisted of three components: (A) information about ownership of garden ponds, terrariums, and aquariums, (B) information about plants and animals and (C) sociodemographic information. Component A was used to determine whether respondents owned a garden pond, terrarium or aquarium. If so, the respondents were asked at what postal code their pond, terrarium or aquarium was located. This was necessary because the postal codes were used to determine the approximate location of the respondents’ home and calculate translocation distances. Respondents were able to enter a different postal code for each confinement type. In case respondents moved and had, for example, a garden pond on both addresses, they were asked to pick the postal code of the address where they had lived the longest or the one they could tell the most about. The introductory text of the questionnaire was phrased neutrally and did not mention exotic species, diseases or other issues. We did so to reduce the risk of social-desirability bias. The respondents who indicated that they had a garden pond, a terrarium or an aquarium were led through a series of questions about fish, amphibians and water plants in compartment B of the survey. If a respondent indicated that a species group was present in their pond, terrarium, or aquarium, they were asked how they acquired that species and additionally, if they had ever removed any species from its confinement. Multiple answers were possible for both obtainment and removal. If no appropriate answer was on the list, respondents could describe an additional answer. In case the options “collected/caught in nature” and/or “released/dumped in nature” were picked, the respondents were asked if they could pinpoint the location(s) on a map (that worked with OpenStreetMap). They could enter up to ten locations. For each location, they were asked what species they collected or released. Participants who translocated species but could not pinpoint any locations were asked to list all species at once. Species were only taken into account if it was clear what type of animal or plant was described. Full species names were not a necessity, but vague descriptions such as “oxygen plant” were counted as “unknown”. Participants who translocated animals or plants were asked how many times they had done so. Sufficient instructions were supplied to explain that, for this question, it did not matter where and how many individuals were caught or released each time. The respondents were also asked to formulate the most important reason for collecting or releasing plants and animals. In case respondents indicated that they transferred species from inside (terrarium or aquarium) to outside (pond) or vice versa when asked about the acquirement and removal of species, they were asked to list the species they had moved. These questions could be answered twice, once for the pond and once for the aquarium or terrarium regarding fish and amphibians. In such cases, information about what species were moved was combined. Terrarium or aquarium owners were not specifically asked about translocating plants to, and especially from, aquariums or terrariums because our main focus was on garden ponds and to prevent the survey from becoming too long, yet participants were able to note down which plants they moved from their pond to their aquarium or terrarium and vice versa as part of the questions concerning garden ponds. No questions were asked about hypothetical scenarios as we were only interested in what translocations had already happened and why, and not in uncertain future behavior of garden pond owners. Here we archive an anonymized version of the resulting datasets. Postal codes, longitudinal and latitudinal data, and additional comments provided by the respondents at the end of the survey were removed to anonymize the dataset. Those questions remain, but the cells are empty. We have provided a csv file with a side-by-side translation of the survey questions and the answers to multiple choice questions in the dataset. Please see ESM_2 for the original survey and ESM_3 of Prins et al. (provisionally accepted) for a translated version including conditional rules. Respondents could formulate their own answer when they picked other as an answer to the multiple choice questions about how they acquired plants or animals and the questions about what they did with plants and animals when removed from their enclosures. We categorized these additional answer by adding an extra column named Andere categorieën (Other categories). In here, we wrote down to what category the additional answers belonged. That could be the extra category Spontaan (Spontaneous) that we added for the questions about how plants and animals were acquired, Overig (Other) or one of the three overarching categories: Gekocht (Bought), Gehad (Received as gift), and weggegeven (Given away). Additional answers that only added explanation to one of the picked answer options, were not sorted into new or overarching categories. The answers to the motivation questions were categorized as well. We did this by adding an extra column named Categorie (Category) and noting down to what category (or categories) the answers belonged. We created seven motivation categories for the collection of plants and animals and three for their removal. See the table below for a translation of each category.    <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> Motivations for collecting water plants and animals form nature </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Categorie </td> <td> Category </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Leven </td> <td> Ecosystem functioning </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Esthetiek </td> <td> Aesthetic preferences </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Kosten </td> <td> Expenses and availability </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Dierenleed </td> <td> Animal suffering </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Soortbescherming </td> <td> Species preservation </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Educatie </td> <td> Education </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Overig </td> <td> Other </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Motivations for releasing water plants and animals in nature after removing them from a garden pond </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Categorie </td> <td> Category </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Overlast </td> <td> Overcrowding and hinder </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Verblijf </td> <td> Enclosure </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Overig </td> <td> Other </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   This archive contains 3 files: Side_by_side_translation.csv provides English translations of all questions in our Dutch questionnaire in 2023. results-survey-anonymized.csv contains the anonymized answers by the respondents in 2023. Response IDs have been shuffled and no longer indicate the chronological order of the responses. 2023_translocations_with_distance_anonymized.csv contains the calculated distances between the postal code of the garden pond and natural area where species were collected or released. The responseIDs match with those in the previous file.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Skin swabbing of amphibian larvae yields sufficient DNA for efficient sequencing and reliable microsatellite genotyping

Skin swabbing, a minimally invasive DNA sampling method recently developed on adult amphibians, was tested on larvae of fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra). The quality and quantity of the sampled DNA was evaluated by (i) measuring DNA concentration in DNA extracts, (ii) sequencing part of the mtDNA cytochrome b gene (692 bp) and (iii) genotyping eight polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci. The multiple-tubes approach was used for calculating allelic dropout (ADO) and false allele (FA) rates to evaluate the reliability of the genotypes. DNA extracts from tissue samples of road-killed individuals were included in the study as positive controls. Our results showed that skin swabs of fire salamander larvae can provide DNA in sufficient quantity and quality, as sequencing was successful and no allelic dropouts or false alleles were detected. This method, tested for the first time on amphibian larvae, has proven to be an efficient and reliable alternative to the controversial tail fin clipping procedure.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Larval environment alters amphibian immune defenses differentially across life stages and populations

Recent global declines, extirpations and extinctions of wildlife caused by newly emergent diseases highlight the need to improve our knowledge of common environmental factors that affect the strength of immune defense traits. To achieve this goal, we examined the influence of acidification and shading of the larval environment on amphibian skin-associated innate immune defense traits, pre and post-metamorphosis, across two populations of American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana), a species known for its wide-ranging environmental tolerance and introduced global distribution. We assessed treatment effects on 1) skin-associated microbial communities and 2) post-metamorphic antimicrobial peptide (AMP) production and 3) AMP bioactivity against the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). While habitat acidification did not affect survival, time to metamorphosis or juvenile mass, we found that a change in average pH from 7 to 6 caused a significant shift in the larval skin microbial community, an effect which disappeared after metamorphosis. Additionally, we found shifts in skin-associated microbial communities across life stages suggesting they are affected by the physiological or ecological changes associated with amphibian metamorphosis. Moreover, we found that post-metamorphic AMP production and bioactivity were significantly affected by the interactions between pH and shade treatments and interactive effects differed across populations. In contrast, there were no significant interactions between treatments on post-metamorphic microbial community structure suggesting that variation in AMPs did not affect microbial community structure within our study. Our findings indicate that commonly encountered variation in the larval environment (i.e. pond pH and degree of shading) can have both immediate and long-term effects on the amphibian innate immune defense traits. Our work suggests that the susceptibility of amphibians to emerging diseases could be related to variability in the larval environment and calls for research into the relative influence of potentially less benign anthropogenic environmental changes on innate immune defense traits.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Climate structuring of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in the threatened amphibians of the northern Western Ghats, India

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a pathogen killing amphibians worldwide. Its impact across much of Asia is poorly characterised. This study systematically surveyed amphibians for Bd across rocky plateaus in the northern section of the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, India, including for the first surveys of the plateaus in the coastal region. These ecosystems offer an epidemiological model system since they are characterised by differing levels of connectivity, edaphic and climatic conditions, and anthropogenic stressors. One hundred and eighteen individuals of 21 species of Anura and Apoda on 13 plateaus ranging from 67-1179m above sea level and 15.89 to 17.92° North Latitude were sampled. Using qPCR protocols 79% of species and 27% of individuals tested were positive for Bd. This is the first record of Bd in caecilians in India, the Critically Endangered Xanthophryne tigenrinus and Endangered Fejervarya cf. sahyadris. Mean site prevalence was 28.15%. Prevalence below the escarpment was 31.2% and 25.4% above. The intensity of infection (GE) showed the reverse pattern. Infection may be related to elevational temperature changes, thermal exclusion, inter-site connectivity and anthropogenic disturbance. Coastal plateaus may be thermal refuges from Bd. Infected amphibians represented a wide range of ecological traits posing interesting questions about transmission routes.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Seasonal and ontogenetic variation of skin microbial communities and relationships to natural disease dynamics in declining amphibians

Recently, microbiologists have focused on characterizing the probiotic role of skin bacteria for amphibians threatened by the fungal disease chytridiomycosis. However, the specific characteristics of microbial diversity required to maintain health or trigger disease are still not well understood in natural populations. We hypothesized that seasonal and developmental transitions affecting susceptibility to chytridiomycosis could also alter the stability of microbial assemblages. To test our hypothesis, we examined patterns of skin bacterial diversity in two species of declining amphibians (Lithobates yavapaiensis and Eleutherodactylus coqui) affected by the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). We focused on two important transitions that affect Bd susceptibility: ontogenetic (from juvenile to adult) shifts in E. coqui and seasonal (from summer to winter) shifts in L. yavapaiensis. We used a combination of community-fingerprinting analyses and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to quantify changes in bacterial diversity and assemblage composition between seasons and developmental stages, and to investigate the relationship between bacterial diversity and pathogen load. We found that winter-sampled frogs and juveniles, two states associated with increased Bd susceptibility, exhibited higher diversity compared with summer-sampled frogs and adult individuals. Our findings also revealed that hosts harbouring higher bacterial diversity carried lower Bd infections, providing support for the protective role of bacterial communities. Ongoing work to understand skin microbiome resilience after pathogen disturbance has the potential to identify key taxa involved in disease resistance.

opennotspecifiedJan 2021View details →

Figure 2 in Dietary ecology of common amphibian species in a seasonal location in northern Sri Lanka

Figure 2. Prey size (mm) preferences of the sampled amphibian species. (Ma: Minervarya agricola, Ec: Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis, Dm: Duttaphrynus melanostictus, Ut: Uperodon taprobanicus, Ur: Uperodon rohani, Eh: Euphlyctis hexadactylus).

opennotspecifiedJan 2021View details →

Figure 1 in Dietary ecology of common amphibian species in a seasonal location in northern Sri Lanka

Figure 1. Relationship between standardised gape width (GW/SVL) of frogs and their prey length (mm).

opencc-zeroJul 2021View details →

Context-dependent dispersal determines relatedness and genetic structure in a patchy amphibian population

Dispersal is a central process in ecology and evolution with far reaching consequences for the dynamics and genetics of spatially structured populations (SSPs). Individuals can adjust their decisions to disperse according to local fitness prospects, resulting in context-dependent dispersal. By determining dispersal rate, distance, and direction, these individual-level decisions further modulate the demography, relatedness, and genetic structure of SSPs. Here, we examined how context-dependent dispersal influences the dynamics and genetics of a Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) SSP. We collected capture-recapture data of 5564 individuals and genetic data of 950 individuals across a SSP in northern Germany. We added genetic data from six sites outside this SSP to assess genetic structure and gene flow at a regional level. Dispersal rates within the SSP were high but dispersal distances were short. Dispersal was context-dependent: individuals preferentially immigrated into high-quality ponds where breeding probabilities were higher. The studied SSP behaved like a patchy population, where subpopulations at each pond were demographically interdependent. High context-dependent dispersal led to weak but significant spatial genetic structure and relatedness within the SSP. At the regional level, a strong hierarchical genetic structure with very few first-generation migrants as well as low effective dispersal rates suggest the presence of independent demographic units. Overall, our study highlights the importance of habitat quality for driving context-dependent dispersal and therefore demography and genetic structure in SSPs. Limited capacity for long-distance dispersal seems to increase genetic structure within a population and leads to demographic isolation in anthropogenic landscapes.

opencc-zeroAug 2021View details →

Visual recognition and coevolutionary history drive responses of amphibians to an invasive predator

During biotic invasions, native prey are abruptly exposed to novel predators and are faced with unprecedented predatory pressures. Under these circumstances, the lack of common evolutionary history may hamper predator recognition by native prey, undermining the expression of effective anti-predatory responses. Nonetheless, mechanisms allowing prey to overcome evolutionary naïveté exist. For instance, in naïve prey, history of coevolution with similar native predators or recognition of general traits characterizing predators can favor recognition of stimuli released by invasive predators. However, few studies assessed how these mechanisms shape prey response at the community level. Here, we evaluated behavioral responses in naïve larvae of 13 amphibian species to chemical and visual cues associated with an invasive predator, the American red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). Moreover, we investigated how variation among species responses was related to their coexistence with a similar native crayfish predator. Amphibian larvae altered their behavior in presence of visual stimuli of the alien crayfish, while chemical cues elicited feeble and contrasting behavioral shifts. Activity reduction was the most common and stronger response, whereas in some species we detected more heterogeneous strategies also involving distancing and rapid escape response. Interestingly, species sharing coevolutionary history with the native crayfish were able to finely tune their response to the invasive one, performing bursts to escape. These results suggest native prey can respond to invasive predators through recognition of generic risk cues (e.g., approaching large shapes), still the capability of modulating anti-predator strategies may also depend on their coevolutionary history with similar native predators.

opencc-zeroAug 2021View details →

Prevalence of Ranavirus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, B. salamandrivorans, and Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola in Amphibians and Reptiles of North Carolina, USA

The viral pathogen Ranavirus (Rv) and the fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), B. salamandrivorans (Bsal), and Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola (Oo) infect amphibians and reptiles. In recent years, there has been increased interest in reporting the occurrences of these pathogens. North Carolina, USA has a rich diversity of amphibians and reptiles, and is notably the most species-rich U.S. state in salamanders. We assessed prevalence of Rv, Bd, Bsal, and Oo in a broad taxonomic and geographic representation of amphibians and reptiles in North Carolina. Non-lethal skin swabs were taken using standardized methods from 718 amphibians and 254 reptiles, most of which were wild caught across North Carolina, with some captive individuals from living collections at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University Veterinary College. The presence and quantity of Rv, Bd, Bsal, or Oo DNA in the swabs was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Rv was found in 29% of the amphibians and reptiles that were tested, Bd was found in 14% of the frogs and salamanders tested, and Oo was found in 10% of the snakes tested. Presence of Bd was positively associated with presence of Rv in frogs but not in salamanders. Rv, Bd, Bsal, and Oo were found in a wide variety of species and across the state. As none of the individuals sampled were apparently sick or coming from populations with recent mass die-off or mortality events, this research suggests that these three pathogens are probably endemic to North Carolina and found naturally in wild populations. Bsal was not found in any samples, consistent with the finding that this pathogen has not yet been detected in the wild anywhere else in the USA. As this pathogen is associated with wild salamander die-offs in Europe, its introduction into salamander-rich North Carolina could be catastrophic. Hence efforts to continue to monitor for Bsal and prevent its introduction into the USA remain very important.

opennotspecifiedNov 2009View details →

Figure 1 in Clues supporting photoperiod as the main determinant of seasonal variation in amphibian activity

Figure 1. Path diagram of structural equation model, evaluating 265 the hypotheses that anuran species respond to the month as a latent variable that is a construct of photoperiod, temperature and rainfall. The whole model is congruent with observed data as indicated by its non-significant probability. Paths values are standardized effects ± 1 standard error. Asterisks (*) denote significant coefficients (P <0.05) and "ns" denote non-significant coefficients (P> 0.05). Arrow width represents the strength of the causal link. Month, latent variable; S, number of species calling per month; P, photoperiod; T, mean monthly temperature; R, monthly rainfall; u1 to u4, associated error variable.