A comparative analysis of global, national, and state red lists for threatened amphibians in Brazil

The knowledge about the conservation status of species is an important data for conservation biology. Therefore, threatened species lists are a powerful tool for conservation planning and prioritization. Our objective is to compare the global, the national and state red lists of amphibians in Brazil. Threatened species were categorized according to their listing in one or several of these lists. We analyzed for true inconsistencies across lists in order to evaluate practical consequences of such incongruences on amphibian conservation in Brazil. We recorded a total of 61 threatened amphibian species in Brazil (across all red lists). Only one species, Phrynomedusa fimbriata, was listed as Extinct (both in IUCN, Brazil and S?o Paulo lists). A total of eleven endemic species are listed as threatened by the global red list, but do not appear in Brazil’s national red list, which represent an inconsistence among these lists. Besides that, the threat category of Thoropa lutzi and Thoropa petropolitana, two endemic species, differ among both lists, which also represents a problem between both lists. These mismatches may be due to several reasons such as different interpretation of the criteria; different methodologies used; different data availability on species; differences in the dates of assessments processes; the assessors’ attitudes to uncertainty; outdated red lists. Harmonization among red lists permits a better picture of threatened amphibian diversity across scales and to develop global, national and state plans to complement conservation actions in order to maximize the chance of success of these initiatives.     

Environmental correlates of anuran beta diversity in the Brazilian Cerrado

Evolutionary processes are known to influence contemporary patterns of biological diversity, yet disentangling the effects of current and historical drivers of biodiversity patterns remain challenging. We use spatial analyses of community dissimilarity to generate hypotheses about the current and historical processes underlying patterns of beta diversity in anuran species in the Brazilian Cerrado. Specifically, we use a generalized dissimilarity modeling (GDM) approach to model compositional dissimilarity of anuran species and endemics as a function of geographic separation and local (within‐Cerrado) environmental conditions. To gain insight about potential historical processes, we incorporate information from biomes adjacent to the Cerrado to investigate whether environmental conditions in neighboring areas can help explain patterns of beta diversity within the Cerrado. Patterns of anuran beta diversity of both endemics and all species in the Cerrado appear to be strongly influenced by local environmental gradients, with elevation as one of the most important variables in all models. However, in models using endemic species only, environmental conditions of adjacent biomes were related to beta‐diversity patterns, and more strongly so, than to total species models. These results suggest that phylogenetic niche conservatism within species groups that invaded the Cerrado from adjacent biomes may cause these species to be restricted to environmental conditions within the Cerrado that are most similar to the conditions in the adjacent biome where they originated. Time‐calibrated phylogenies of Cerrado endemics and studies of ancestral and current ranges of Cerrado species are needed to test this hypothesis.     

Conservation biogeography of anurans in Brazilian Cerrado

The increasing rates of declines in anuran populations worldwide are creating demands for urgent strategies to maximize conservation efforts. This may be critical in regions for which few detailed data on diversity, abundance and distribution are available, such as in the Cerrado of Central Brazil. In this paper, we used a macroecological approach based on the extent of occurrence of 131 species of Anura (Amphibia) in the Cerrado region to design a regional network of potential areas that preserves all anuran species. The final network, obtained using a simulation annealing algorithm based on complementarity, has a total of 17 cells, widely distributed throughout the biome. Minimum costs solutions were obtained in respect to total human population size, soybean production and bovine density, because these are the factors associated with human occupation that historically are more likely to cause broad scale habitat losses. The macro-scale approach used here can provide overall guidelines for conservation and define the focus for more local and effective conservation efforts.     

Effects of Fragmentation and Sea-Level Changes upon Frog Communities of Land-Bridge Islands off the Southeastern Coast of Brazil

We investigate the composition of anuran communities of land-bridge islands off the southeastern coast of Brazil. These islands provide natural long-term experiments on the effects of fragmentation in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (BAF). We hypothesize that Pleistocene sea-level changes, in combination with other abiotic variables such as area and habitat diversity, has affected anuran species richness and community composition on these islands. Data from the literature and collections databases were used to produce species lists for eight land-bridge islands and for the mainland adjacent to the islands. We assess the effects of area, number of breeding habitats and distance to the mainland upon anuran species richness on land-bridge islands. Additionally we use nestedness analysis to quantify the extent to which the species on smaller and less habitat-diverse islands correspond to subsets of those on larger and more diverse ones. We found that area has both direct and indirect effects on anuran species richness on land-bridge islands, irrespective of distance to the mainland. However, on islands with comparable sizes, differences in species richness can be attributed to the number and quality of breeding habitats. Anuran communities on these islands display a nested pattern, possibly caused by selective extinction related to habitat loss. Common lowland pond-breeders were conspicuous by their absence. In the BAF, the conservation of fragments with a high diversity of breeding habitats could compensate for the generally negative effect of small area upon species richness. We suggest that sea-level changes have an important role in shaping composition of anuran species on coastal communities.     

Spatial variation in anuran richness,diversity, and abundance across montane wetland habitat in Volcanoes National Park,Rwanda

The spatial distribution of species has long sparked interest among ecologists and biogeographers, increasingly so in studies of species responses to climate change. However, field studies on spatial patterns of distribution, useful to inform conservation actions at local scales, are still lacking for many regions, especially the tropics. We studied elevational trends and species‐area relationships among anurans in wetland habitats within Volcanoes National Park (VNP) in Rwanda, part of the biodiverse Albertine Rift region. In VNP, wetlands are key sites for anuran reproduction, and anurans are likely threatened by wetland desiccation which has occurred for the last few decades. Between 2012 and 2017, we sampled anuran communities in ten VNP wetlands located along an elevational gradient of c. 600 m (from 2,546 to 3,188 m a.s.l.) and found at least eight species, including at least two Albertine Rift Endemics. We show that species richness, diversity, and abundance likely decline with a decrease in wetland size and with an increase in elevation, though additional sampling (e.g., at night) might be needed to derive definite conclusions. Larger wetlands at lower elevations contained most species and individuals, which indicates the potential threat of wetland size reduction (through desiccation) for anuran conservation. However, we also found that wetlands differed in species composition and that some species (e.g., Sclerophrys kisoloensis) were likely restricted in distribution to only a few of the smaller wetlands—suggesting that the conservation of each individual wetland should be prioritized, regardless of size. We propose that all wetlands in VNP require additional conservation measures, which should be based on knowledge gathered through long‐term monitoring of anuran communities and research on drivers of wetland decline. Only such extended research will allow us to understand the response of anurans in VNP to threats such as climate change and wetland desiccation.     

Endemic birds of the Atlantic Forest: traits,conservation status,and patterns of biodiversity

The bird fauna of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest is exceptionally diverse and threatened, with high levels of endemism. Available lists of the endemic birds of the Atlantic Forest were generated before recent taxonomic revisions lumped or split species and before the recent increase in species occurrence records. Our objective, therefore, was to compile a new list of the endemic birds of the Atlantic Forest, characterize these species in terms of conservation status and natural history traits, and map remaining vegetation and protected areas. We combined GIS analysis with a literature search to compile a list of endemic species and, based on the phylogeny and distribution of these species, characterized areas in terms of species richness, phylogenetic diversity, and endemism. We identified 223 species of birds endemic to the Atlantic Forest, including 12 species not included in previous lists. In addition, 14 species included in previous lists were not considered endemic, either because they occur outside the Atlantic Forest biome or because they are not considered valid species. The typical Atlantic Forest endemic bird is a small forest‐dependent invertivore. Of the species on our list, 31% are considered threatened or extinct. Only ~ 34% of the spatial analysis units had > 10% forest cover, and protected area coverage was consistently low (< 1%). In addition, we found spatial incongruity among the different measures of biodiversity (species richness, relative phylogenetic diversity, restricted‐range species, and irreplaceability). Each of these measures provides information concerning different aspects of biological diversity. However, regardless of which aspect(s) of biodiversity might be considered most important, preservation of the remaining areas of remnant vegetation and further expansion of protected areas are essential if we are to conserve the many endemic species of birds in the Atlantic Forest.     

Changes in Diversity, Abundance, and Structure of Soil Bacterial Communities in Brazilian Savanna Under Different Land Use Systems

The Brazilian Savanna, also known as “Cerrado”, is the richest and most diverse savanna in the world and has been ranked as one of the main hotspots of biodiversity. The Cerrado is a representative biome in Central Brazil and the second largest biome in species diversity of South America. Nevertheless, large areas of native vegetation have been converted to agricultural land including grain production, livestock, and forestry. In this view, understanding how land use affects microbial communities is fundamental for the sustainable management of agricultural ecosystems. The aim of this work was to analyze and compare the soil bacterial communities from the Brazilian Cerrado associated with different land use systems using high throughput pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Relevant differences were observed in the abundance and structure of bacterial communities in soils under different land use systems. On the other hand, the diversity of bacterial communities was not relevantly changed among the sites studied. Land use systems had also an important impact on specific bacterial groups in soil, which might change the soil function and the ecological processes. Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the most abundant groups in the Brazilian Cerrado. These findings suggest that more important than analyzing the general diversity is to analyze the composition of the communities. Since soil type was the same among the sites, we might assume that land use was the main factor defining the abundance and structure of bacterial communities.     

Integrating alpha,beta, and phylogenetic diversity to understand anuran fauna along environmental gradients of tropical forests in western Ecuador

The study of current distribution patterns of amphibian species in South America is of particular interest in areas such as evolutionary ecology and conservation biology. These patterns could be playing an important role in biological interactions, population size, and connectivity, and potential extinction risk in amphibians. Here, we tested the effects of spatial and environmental factors on the variation, turnover, and phylogenetic diversity of anuran amphibian species in tropical forests of western Ecuador. Data for presence/absence of 101 species of 34 genera and 10 families registered in 12 sites (nested in four biogeographic units) were obtained through fieldwork, museum collections, and literature records. We examined the influence of geographical, altitudinal, temperature, and precipitation distances on differences in anuran composition between sites. We found significant positive correlations among all of these variables with anuran distribution. The greatest alpha diversity (species richness) was found in the Equatorial Chocó biogeographic unit. Equatorial Pacific biogeographic unit could act as a transition zone between the Equatorial Chocó and Equatorial Tumbes. The western Andes (Western Cordillera biogeographic unit) was the most dissimilar and exhibited a higher species turnover rate than the other biogeographic units. Our results suggest that precipitation and elevation play a key role in maintaining the diversity of amphibian species in western Ecuador.     

The efficiency of indicator groups for the conservation of amphibians in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

The adequate selection of indicator groups of biodiversity is an important aspect of the systematic conservation planning. However, these assessments differ in the spatial scales, in the methods used and in the groups considered to accomplish this task, which generally produces contradictory results. The quantification of the spatial congruence between species richness and complementarity among different taxonomic groups is a fundamental step to identify potential indicator groups. Using a constructive approach, the main purposes of this study were to evaluate the performance and efficiency of eight potential indicator groups representing amphibian diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Data on the geographic range of amphibian species that occur in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest were overlapped to the full geographic extent of the biome, which was divided into a regular equal‐area grid. Optimization routines based on the concept of complementarily were applied to verify the performance of each indicator group selected in relation to the representativeness of the amphibians in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest as a whole, which were solved by the algorithm “simulated annealing,” through the use of the software MARXAN. Some indicator groups were substantially more effective than others in regard to the representation of the taxonomic groups assessed, which was confirmed by the high significance of the data (F = 312.76; P < 0.01). Leiuperidae was considered as the best indicator group among the families analyzed, as it showed a good performance, representing 71% of amphibian species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (i.e., 290 species), which may be associated with the diffuse geographic distribution of their species. In this sense, this study promotes understanding of how the diversity standards of amphibians can be informative for systematic conservation planning on a regional scale.     

Phylobetadiversity among Forest Types in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Complex

Phylobetadiversity is defined as the phylogenetic resemblance between communities or biomes. Analyzing phylobetadiversity patterns among different vegetation physiognomies within a single biome is crucial to understand the historical affinities between them. Based on the widely accepted idea that different forest physiognomies within the Southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest constitute different facies of a single biome, we hypothesize that more recent phylogenetic nodes should drive phylobetadiversity gradients between the different forest types within the Atlantic Forest, as the phylogenetic divergence among those forest types is biogeographically recent. We compiled information from 206 checklists describing the occurrence of shrub/tree species across three different forest physiognomies within the Southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest (Dense, Mixed and Seasonal forests). We analyzed intra-site phylogenetic structure (phylogenetic diversity, net relatedness index and nearest taxon index) and phylobetadiversity between plots located at different forest types, using five different methods differing in sensitivity to either basal or terminal nodes (phylogenetic fuzzy weighting, COMDIST, COMDISTNT, UniFrac and Rao’s H). Mixed forests showed higher phylogenetic diversity and overdispersion than the other forest types. Furthermore, all forest types differed from each other in relation phylobetadiversity patterns, particularly when phylobetadiversity methods more sensitive to terminal nodes were employed. Mixed forests tended to show higher phylogenetic differentiation to Dense and Seasonal forests than these latter from each other. The higher phylogenetic diversity and phylobetadiversity levels found in Mixed forests when compared to the others likely result from the biogeographical origin of several taxa occurring in these forests. On one hand, Mixed forests shelter several temperate taxa, like the conifers Araucaria and Podocarpus. On the other hand, tropical groups, like Myrtaceae, are also very representative of this forest type. We point out to the need of more attention to Mixed forests as a conservation target within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest given their high phylogenetic uniqueness.     

Diversity of tiger moths in a Neotropical hotspot: determinants of species composition and identification of biogeographic units

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is a Biodiversity Hotspot, yet many biological groups in this biome are poorly known. We compiled information on the diversity of Atlantic Forest tiger moths (Arctiidae) and assessed the resemblance among localities, whether arctiid assemblages are concordant with major vegetation types, and the importance of environmental factors in structuring the variation among assemblages. Additionally, we developed a procedure composed of subsampling and procrustean analysis to assess the robustness of the results from community composition ordinations when localities differ in species richness. To do this, we built a database from specimens deposited in the ten most important Brazilian entomological collections, and mapped species richness in one-degree latitude/longitude grid cells. We employed Principal Coordinates Analysis to assess similarities among the best-sampled localities. We obtained 8,667 records including 1,193 species, representing 60 and 20% of the estimated Brazilian and Neotropical faunas, respectively. Our subsampling procedure indicated that the ordination was not greatly affected by differences in species richness, and was congruent with major vegetation types. Lowland localities on the seacoast were quite distinct in species composition. A second group included localities in montane areas in the southeast part of the biome. The last group included localities in the southern region and those with Araucaria forests, and was associated with long distances from the ocean, even distribution of precipitation throughout the year, and large annual temperature ranges.     

Endemic vertebrates are the most effective surrogates for identifying conservation priorities among Brazilian ecoregions

Many studies have tested the performance of terrestrial vertebrates as surrogates for overall species diversity, because these are commonly used in priority‐setting conservation appraisals. Using a database of 3663 vertebrate species in 38 Brazilian ecoregions, we evaluated the effectiveness of various subsets for representing diversity of the entire vertebrate assemblage. Because ecoregions are established incorporating information on biotic assemblages, they are potentially more amenable to regional comparison than are national or state lists. We used 10 potential indicator groups (all species; all mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians; all endemic species; and endemic species within each class) to find priority sets of ecoregions that best represent the entire terrestrial vertebrate fauna. This is the first time such tests are employed to assess the effectiveness of indicator groups at the ecoregion level in Brazil. We show that patterns of species richness are highly correlated among mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ecoregion sets selected according to endemic species richness captured more vertebrate species per unit area than sets based on overall vertebrate richness itself, or than those selected at random. Ecoregion sets based on endemic bird, endemic reptile, or endemic amphibian richness also performed well, capturing more species overall than random sets, or than those selected based on species richness of one or all vertebrate classes within ecoregions. Our results highlight the importance of evaluating biodiversity concordance and the use of indicator groups as well as aggregate species richness. We conclude that priority sets based on indicator groups provide a basis for a first assessment of priorities for conservation at an infracontinental scale. Areas with high endemism have long been highlighted for conservation of species. Our findings provide evidence that endemism is not only a worthwhile conservation goal, but also an effective surrogate for the conservation of all terrestrial vertebrates in Brazil.     

Priority areas for anuran conservation using biogeographical data: a comparison of greedy, rarity, and simulated annealing algorithms to define reserve networks in cerrado.

Spatial patterns in biodiversity variation at a regional scale are rarely taken into account when a natural reserve is to be established, despite many available methods for determining them. In this paper, we used dimensions of occurrence of 105 species of Anura (Amphibia) in the cerrado region of central Brazil to create a regional system of potential areas that preserves all regional diversity, using three different algorithms to establish reserve networks: "greedy", rarity, and simulated annealing algorithms. These generated networks based on complementarity with 10, 12, and 8 regions, respectively, widely distributed in the biome, and encompassing various Brazilian states. Although the purpose of these algorithms is to find a small number of regions for which all species are represented at least once, the results showed that 67.6%, 76.2%, and 69.5% of the species were represented in two or more regions in the three networks. Simulated annealing produced the smallest network, but it left out three species (one endemic). On the other hand, while the greedy algorithm produce a smaller solution, the rarity-based algorithm ensured that more species were represented more than once, which can be advantageous because it takes into consideration the high levels of habitat loss in the cerrado. Although usually coarse, these macro-scale approaches can provide overall guidelines for conservation and are useful in determining the focus for more local and effective conservation efforts, which is especially important when dealing with a taxonomic group such as anurans, for which quick and drastic population declines have been reported throughout the world.     

Identification of Priority Conservation Areas and Potential Corridors for Jaguars in the Caatinga Biome,Brazil

The jaguar, Panthera onca, is a top predator with the extant population found within the Brazilian Caatinga biome now known to be on the brink of extinction. Designing new conservation units and potential corridors are therefore crucial for the long-term survival of the species within the Caatinga biome. Thus, our aims were: 1) to recognize suitable areas for jaguar occurrence, 2) to delineate areas for jaguar conservation (PJCUs), 3) to design corridors among priority areas, and 4) to prioritize PJCUs. A total of 62 points records of jaguar occurrence and 10 potential predictors were analyzed in a GIS environment. A predictive distributional map was obtained using Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) as performed by the Maximum Entropy (Maxent) algorithm. Areas equal to or higher than the median suitability value of 0.595 were selected as of high suitability for jaguar occurrence and named as Priority Jaguar Conservation Units (PJCU). Ten PJCUs with sizes varying from 23.6 km² to 4,311.0 km² were identified. Afterwards, we combined the response curve, as generated by SDM, and expert opinions to create a permeability matrix and to identify least cost corridors and buffer zones between each PJCU pair. Connectivity corridors and buffer zone for jaguar movement included an area of 8.884,26 km² and the total corridor length is about 160.94 km. Prioritizing criteria indicated the PJCU representing c.a. 68.61% of the total PJCU area (PJCU # 1) as of high priority for conservation and connectivity with others PJCUs (PJCUs # 4, 5 and 7) desirable for the long term survival of the species. In conclusion, by using the jaguar as a focal species and combining SDM and expert opinion we were able to create a valid framework for practical conservation actions at the Caatinga biome. The same approach could be used for the conservation of other carnivores.     

The spatial genetic structure of the White‐banded Tanager (Aves,Passeriformes) in fragmented Neotropical savannas suggests two evolutionarily significant units

Understanding the genetic structure of a species is crucial for evolutionary biology research and species conservation. The objectives of this study were to investigate the genetic structure of Neothraupis fasciata in Brazilian savannas and to assess genetic differentiation of its disjunct population in the Amazonian savannas of the state of Amapá. Population genetic structure was assessed in relation to isolation by distance and landscape variables connected with habitat heterogeneity. The influences of factors, such as habitat fragmentation and core–periphery distribution, on genetic diversity were also examined. Data were derived from a set of microsatellite loci of adult individuals from nine localities: eight distributed across the Cerrado and one in the disjunct Amazonian savanna of Amapá. Analysis revealed moderate genetic diversity and moderate population genetic structure, with at least two genetic clusters, one of which is represented exclusively by the disjunct Amapá population. The genetic structure found is not the result of significant influences by geographical distance, habitat heterogeneity, or the core–periphery effect, nor by intense biome fragmentation due to anthropic action. The disjunct Amapá population exhibited a moderate level of genetic differentiation compared to the Cerrado population, suggesting that both can be considered distinct evolutionarily significant units for conservation purposes. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.     

Biodiversity surrogate groups and conservation priority areas: birds of the Brazilian Cerrado

The choice of surrogates of biodiversity is an important aspect in conservation biology. The quantification of the coincidence in the spatial patterns of species richness and rarity between different groups and the vulnerability of groups are different approaches frequently considered to accomplish this task. However, a more appropriate approach is to verify the efficiency of priority networks selected using information from one group of organisms to capture the biodiversity of other groups. Using a deconstructive approach, the main purposes of this study were to evaluate the performance of some orders and families of birds in the Cerrado biome (a savanna-like biome) as surrogates of other bird groups, in a pairwise analysis, and to investigate the characteristics of these groups that predict the efficiency in representation of other groups. We used biogeographical data on bird orders or families with more than 10 species that occur in the Brazilian Cerrado. The best surrogate group was the Thamnophilidae. Moreover, this group is not the most specious, favouring further survey efforts that are necessary to verify the conservation value of areas at suitable scales. The majority of the species from this family are dependent on forest habitats, one of the characteristics that most influenced representativeness level, probably due to the spatial distribution of these habitats throughout the Brazilian Cerrado. Beta diversity patterns of the different groups also affected representativeness, and our analyses showed that the networks selected by a surrogate group will be more effective in the representation of other groups of species if their patterns of beta diversity (not richness) are correlated.     

Fungal biodiversity: what do we know? What can we predict?

Although fungi are among the most important organisms in the world, only limited and incomplete information is currently available for most species and current estimates of species numbers for fungi differ significantly. This lack of basic information on taxonomic diversity has significant implications for many aspects of evolutionary biology. While the figure of 1.5 million estimated fungal species is commonly used, critics have questioned the validity of this estimate. Data on biogeographic distributions, levels of endemism, and host specificity must be taken into account when developing estimates of global fungal diversity. This paper introduces a set of papers that attempt to develop a rigorous, minimum estimate of global fungal diversity based on a critical assessment of current species lists and informed predictions of missing data and levels of endemism. As such, these papers represent both a meta-analysis of current data and a gap assessment to indicate where future research efforts should be concentrated.