Download or read book Amphibian Conservation in 3D written by Carlos Guilherme Becker and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Habitat loss and chytridiomycosis (a disease caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis - Bd) are major drivers of amphibian declines worldwide. Understanding how their independent and interactive effects lead to amphibian declines is critical for biodiversity conservation. For my doctoral research, I (1) developed a novel integrative approach for systematic conservation planning for tropical amphibians facing negative impacts of accelerated habitat loss, (2) quantified the influence of deforestation on the risk of chytridiomycosis, and (3) through a combination of field surveys and laboratory-controlled experiments, identified abiotic and biotic mechanisms that link deforestation to shifts in disease dynamics. Chapter 1 evaluates different scenarios of systematic conservation planning for Brazilian amphibians, integrating data on species life-history and ecologically relevant spatial metrics of deforestation and landscape configuration. Chapter 2 describes a paradoxical negative relationship between habitat loss and the risk of chytridiomycosis in amphibian populations from Costa Rica, Brazil, and Australia, laying the foundation for chapters 3, 4, and 5, which focus on mechanisms by which deforestation alters disease dynamics. Chapter 3 describes cascading effects of deforestation linking reduction in canopy cover to microclimatic shifts, which affect both Bd prevalence and infection intensity. Chapter 4 experimentally tests and finds support for the 'dilution effect' hypothesis, which predicts an inverse relationship between host diversity and disease. In Chapter 5, I show that temperate amphibian communities with higher population densities at pristine closed-canopy sites carry higher Bd loads due to density-dependent transmission. In contrast, tropical amphibian communities commonly found in pristine forests carry lower Bd infection loads than those in disturbed habitats, presumably due to their host species composition. These results combined highlight that deforestation shifts abiotic and biotic factors, which in turn can either increase or decrease disease risk and impact conservation efforts in amphibians. My dissertation work has important analytical and theoretical implications for the field of disease ecology and the management of amphibians facing the dual negative impacts of habitat loss and chytridiomycosis.
Download or read book Tadpole Hunter written by Arnold Cooke and published by Pelagic Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2023-08-15 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the history of amphibian conservation and research in Britain. It is packed with unique insights from the author who, in the late 1960s, was probably Britain’s first professional amphibian conservationist. At that time, the situation for amphibians was extremely serious after three decades of population decline. Up to the 1990s, Arnold Cooke was directly involved in understanding and trying to remedy the situation via research, legislation and active conservation. He initiated long-term monitoring, surveillance and studies that continued well into this century. This research developed and utilised simple monitoring techniques, such as counting breeding newts at night or toads dead on roads. The resulting datasets also proved of value in determining whether breeding behaviour was affected by climate change. This personal overview charts in detail how amphibian conservation developed from a relatively low knowledge base with few individuals involved to an abundance of information available for the many groups of people now active in the field. It includes published, unpublished and no longer readily accessible material, to emphasise how contemporary knowledge, attitudes and resources affected what was done and what happened as a result. Various policies, strategies, laws and other initiatives have helped stop or slow declines, but the future is still uncertain. The book will appeal to a broad readership, from naturalists to professional herpetologists. Furthermore, this story will have relevance for amphibian conservation in other countries in light of their more recent widespread declines. It is also of interest to those wanting to know more about the development of wildlife conservation in Britain.
Download or read book Amphibian Conservation written by Rebecca K. Smith and published by Pelagic Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2014-05-16 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amphibian Conservation is the fourth in the series of Synopses of Conservation Evidence, linked to the online resource www.ConservationEvidence.com. This synopsis is part of the Conservation Evidence project and provides a useful resource for conservationists. It forms part of a series designed to promote a more evidence-based approach to biodiversity conservation. Others in the series include bee, bird, farmland and bat conservation and many others are in preparation. Approximately 32% of the 7,164+ amphibian species are currently threatened with extinction and at least 43% of species are declining. Despite this, until recently amphibians and their conservation had received little attention. Although work is now being carried out to conserve many species, often it is not adequately documented. This book brings together and summarises the available scientific evidence and experience relevant to the practical conservation of amphibians. The authors consulted an international group of amphibian experts and conservationists to produce a thorough summary of what is known, or not known, about the effectiveness of amphibian conservation actions across the world. "The book is packed with literature summaries and citations; a veritable information goldmine for graduate students and researchers. It also admirably provides decision makers with a well-researched resource of proven interventions that can be employed to stem/reverse the decline of amphibian populations." -John G Palis, Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society
Download or read book Amphibian Ecology and Conservation written by C. Kenneth Dodd and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 585 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes the latest methodologies used to study the ecology of amphibians throughout the world. Each of the 27 chapters explains a research approach or technique, with emphasis on careful planning and the potential biases of techniques. Statistical modelling, landscape ecology, and disease are covered for the first time in a techniques handbook.
Download or read book Quantitative and Landscape Approaches to Amphibian Conservation written by Anthony J. Krzysik and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians written by Trevor Beebee and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 1996-03-31 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume sets out to provide an overview of recent research on all aspects of amphibian ecology and behaviour and to illustrate its application to practical conservation measures for this major group of animals. Its broad scope makes it of relevance to students of general biology, ecology and conservation, but also to professionals in industries and agencies involved with environmental issues and nature conservation.
Download or read book Amphibian conservation action plan proceedings IUCN SSC Amphibian Conservation Summit 2005 written by and published by IUCN. This book was released on 2007 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Framework for Amphibian Habitat Conservation Across Spatial Scales Using Community Occupancy Models written by Vishnupriya Sankararaman and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agricultural intensification and loss of native forest habitats have presented the most ubiquitous threats to faunal communities across the world. These land use modifications have caused loss of species richness, genetic diversity, biotic homogenization, and increased dominance structure from local, regional to global scales. Amphibians are amongst the most endangered vertebrate groups with high susceptibility to habitat modification. Their biphasic life history, poor mobility and low tolerance to chemical pollutants make it difficult for most species to adapt to intensively managed land uses. To combat pressures from habitat loss, commodity agroforests are recommended as suitable secondary habitats for many threatened faunal communities. However, there is little applied research on how individual land management strategies at various spatial scales can help design more wildlife-friendly landscapes. The research presented in this dissertation, uses community ecology theory to examine: (1) how land use gradients shape amphibian species and communities across local and regional spatial extents, (2) how individually evolved life history strategies influence adaptations to different habitats and land uses, (3) how conservation objectives and decisions can shape land use design in terrestrial and aquatic environments to maximize conservation potential of agroforests. In the first chapter, I studied patterns in alpha and beta diversity across areca, coffee and rubber agroforests across Karnataka's Western Ghats. A total of 106 agroforests across a 30,000 km2 landscape were surveyed for amphibians, and a multispecies occupancy model approach was used to analyze and estimate community-level and species-specific parameters. The broad-scale influence of elevation and latitude and fine-scale influences of microhabitat availability were examined on species occurrences. The availability and heterogeneity of microhabitats were also used to predict species occurrences. Overall, a heterogenous land use such as shade-grown coffee hosted much higher species richness than the more intensively managed areca and rubber agroforests. Our results indicate that site-specific diversity can be enhanced with careful management. The preservation of aquatic and terrestrial microhabitats can increase amphibian species richness by up to 75% in each agroforest. The second chapter focuses on examining the influence of life history traits on species occupancy and community structure across terrestrial and stream habitats in different land uses. I surveyed 223 transects for amphibians across tea, coffee and forest fragments in the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats. A joint-species distribution model was used to estimate species occupancies and cooccurrence patterns. Species richness was highest in forest fragments followed by coffee and lowest in tea agroforests. Life-history traits clearly defined habitat use, with fast-water breeding amphibians preferring forested streams first, followed by streams in coffee and the lowest occupancy was observed in tea streams. Slow-water breeding amphibians showed a reverse trend with higher preference for tea over coffee and forest stream sites. The study also revealed important patterns in species distributions across elevational ranges and the influence of annual climate patterns on amphibian populations. The results from this chapter highlight the importance of focusing conservation attention on amphibians with torrential habitat associations as they are the most vulnerable to land use intensification. In chapter three, I advance the understanding of amphibian community structure at broader spatial scales. Using results from chapter two, I estimate pairwise species dissimilarity across sites and examine the role of geographic distances, environmental distances, watershed aspects and land use on beta diversity. The mean beta diversity was lowest for within forest sites and highest for comparisons between coffee and forests. Also, terrestrial habitats displayed greater heterogeneity in species compositions than stream habitats. Rather than geographic distances, the difference in elevation was one of the strongest predictors of beta diversity patterns at the regional scale. The combined influences of the different predictors indicate that prioritizing conservation management across different land uses, elevation gradients and watersheds will be most effective in maintaining the regional diversity and heterogeneity of amphibian communities in the Anamalai Hills. Finally, in the fourth chapter, I use results from all three previous research findings with additional information about ecosystem services to identify where riparian forest restoration can have optimal conservation outcomes. Prioritization was based on predicted increase in alpha diversity, and topographic wetness index (TWI), along with elevational attributes. Five alternate scenarios were set up based on these criteria. The results were tested on ten coffee sites, ten tea sites and a combination of five coffee and tea sites. Species richness was revealed to be a poor criterion for prioritization as it resulted in the most spatially aggregated portfolio of sites and with lowest predicted gamma diversity. Incorporating TWI in land use prioritization yielded much higher gamma diversity and ecosystem function benefits. I also discuss the socioeconomic implications of restoring riparian buffers for private land owners in the region and propose mechanisms by which the restoration costs can be managed. Conservation management has to be scale dependent and rely on local and regional studies to provide empirical evidence for how decisions influence outcomes. I used a combination of theories in community ecology with applied conservation science to provide greater understanding of fine-scale and broad-scale factors influencing agrobiodiversity. This research also expands the use of hierarchical community occupancy models to examine different aspects of spatial variations in multispecies assemblages, particularly in poorly-studied and hyper-diverse tropical regions.
Download or read book AMPHIBIAN CONSERVATION written by Semlitsch R and published by Smithsonian. This book was released on 2003-06-17 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading amphibian biologist Semlitsch has assembled experts to tackle the timely issue of disappearing and deformed populations of amphibians. Every environmentalist will find this book an accessible and informative examination of what many scientists have called one of the major threats to the world's biodiversity.
Download or read book Systematics and Conservation of Neotropical Amphibians and Reptiles written by Alessandro Catenazzi and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2021-08-31 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book includes all 14 articles contributed to the Special Issue "Systematics and Conservation of Neotropical Amphibians and Reptiles” in the journal Diversity, originally published in 2019 and 2020.
Download or read book Evolutionary Ecology of Amphibians written by Gregorio Moreno-Rueda and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2023-06-30 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amphibians are the oldest tetrapod group and show an astonishing diversity in lifestyles, many of them being unique. However, globally, they are on a decline. Hence, their study is fundamental to understanding the evolution of diversity and conserving them. This book, authored by experts from around the world, summarizes the current knowledge on the evolutionary ecology of amphibians. The book treats biological concepts related to the evolution, ecology, physiology, immunology, behaviour, and morphology of amphibians in their different states. This book constitutes an actualized work indispensable for evolutionary ecologists and herpetologists.
Download or read book A Guide to Amphibian and Reptile Conservation written by Tom R. Johnson and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Amphibian Declines written by Michael J. Lannoo and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2005-06-15 with total page 1116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Documents in comprehensive detail a major environmental crisis: rapidly declining amphibian populations and the disturbing developmental problems that are increasingly prevalent within many amphibian species.
Download or read book Reproductive Technologies and Biobanking for the Conservation of Amphibians written by Andy J. Kouba and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 2022-10-03 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How to decelerate loss of global biodiversity is one of the greatest challenges of our generation. Reproductive technologies have enormous potential to assist the recovery of species by enhancing reproductive output, facilitating genetic management, and supporting reintroduction of threatened species. Of particular value are cryopreservation technologies coupled with the establishment of global gene banks to conserve, in perpetuity, the remaining extant genetic diversity of threatened amphibians. Reproductive Technologies and Biobanking for the Conservation of Amphibians brings together leading experts in the field to provide a comprehensive overview of current best practices, summarise technological advancements, and present a framework for facilitating the integration of reproductive technologies and biobanking into conservation breeding programs for threatened amphibians. It is an invaluable reference for the next generation of conservation practitioners: captive breeding facilities, researchers, and policy-makers involved with biodiversity conservation.
Download or read book Conservation of the Amphibia of the United States written by R. Bruce Bury and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative Concepts and Implementation written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Amphibian Habitat Management Handbook written by Amphibian and reptile conservation and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 69 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
