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Apr

16

2007
 
 

Litter critters hit



A frog called russelAmphibians and reptiles decline by 75% in Costa Rica, study shows

It’s not just the frogs and salamanders having a hard time in Costa Rica, a study reports today in PNAS: the snakes and lizards are in trouble too. A collaborating group of scientists led by Florida International University’s Steven Whitfield analyzed records dating back over three decades collected at the La Selva Biological Research Station. Populations of leaf litter-dwelling amphibians have plummeted in the old-growth primary rainforest, although in neighboring abandoned cacao plantations numbers have risen. This, coupled with the fact that snakes and lizards have suffered a similar fate, rules out the two usual suspects behind amphibian declines – global climate change and chytrid fungus. Instead, the authors contend, it’s likely the local effect of increasingly warm and wet conditions: trees hold onto their leaves better, meaning there’s less leaf litter for the little critters to rummage around in.

Source: Whitfield SM, Bell KE, Philippi T, Sasa M, Bolaños F, Chaves G, Savage JM & Donnelly MA (2007) Amphibian and reptile declines over 35 years at La Selva, Costa Rica. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0611256104

Image © Nalukai

Filed Under Climate change, Endangered species, Habitat, Monitoring | 

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