Late Holocene extinction of Puerto Rican native land mammals

West Indian land mammals have suffered the most severe extinctions of any Holocene mammal faunas. However, 'last-occurrence' dates based on radiometric or robust stratigraphic data remain unavailable for most West Indian species, making it impossible to identify factors responsible for these extinctions. Here, we present new radiometric dates from archaeological and palaeontological sites on Puerto Rico, the only Greater Antillean island to have lost all native land mammals. Although it has been suggested that these species died out earlier than other West Indian mammals, we demonstrate that Puerto Rican mammal last-occurrence dates are in close agreement with those from other Antillean islands, as several species in fact persisted for millennia following Amerindian arrival. Echimyid rodents and nesophontid 'island-shrews' were still present on Puerto Rico approximately 1000 years BP, and probably became extinct following European arrival. The large (13kg) heptaxodontid rodent Elasmodontomys obliquus also appears to have survived for over 2000 years after Amerindian colonization, suggesting that at least some large West Indian mammals became extinct in protracted pre-European 'sitzkrieg'-style events rather than 'blitzkrieg'-style overkill.     

Parasite loss and introduced species: a comparison of the parasites of the Puerto Rican tree frog, (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eleutherodactylus coqui</Emphasis>), in its native and introduced ranges

The Puerto Rican frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui has invaded Hawaii and reached densities far exceeding those in their native range. One possible explanation for the success of E. coqui in its introduced range is that it lost its co-evolved parasites in the process of the invasion. We compared the parasites of E. coqui in its native versus introduced range. We collected parasite data on 160 individual coqui frogs collected during January-April 2006 from eight populations in Puerto Rico and Hawaii. Puerto Rican coqui frogs had higher species richness of parasites than Hawaiian coqui frogs. Parasite prevalence and intensity were significantly higher in Hawaii, however this was likely a product of the life history of the dominant parasite and its minimal harm to the host. This suggests that the scarcity of parasites may be a factor contributing to the success of Eleutherodactylus coqui in Hawaii.     

The bryophyte collections of Wabash College Herbarium (WAB) now at the New York Botanical Garden (NY)

The bryophyte portion of the Wabash College Herbarium (WAB) consists of the personal herbaria of two faculty members: Drs. R. L. Laubengayer and A. R. Bechtel. Together, there were 1483 packets of bryophyte specimens. Most of the collections are from New York, Indiana, and Puerto Rico. Among them, ten represent new county records for New York mosses.Pseudocrossidium aureum is reported as new to California.Orthotrichum sordidum andPylaisiella selwynii are newly identified from a Puerto Rican collection by Laubengayer. The West Indian records of these two species, however, are only doubtfully accepted. In addition, a short biographical sketch is presented for R. L. Laubengayer.     

Diversity of form in the amphibian papilla of Puerto Rican frogs

Summary In modern frogs, the amphibian papilla exhibits a caudal extension whose shape, relative length, and proportion of hair cells vary markedly from species to species. Tuning in the caudal extension is organized tonotopically and evidently involves the tectorium. In terms of the proportion of amphibian-papillar hair cells in the caudal extension, we report more diversity among 8 species of a single genus (Eleutherodactylus) on a single island (Puerto Rico) than has been found so far among all of the (more than 50) other modern anurans examined for this feature from around the world. These 8 Puerto Rican species have overlapping habitat and conspicuous diversity in the male advertisement call. For 7 of the 8 species, we report that the call has transient spectral components in the frequency range of the amphibian papilla, and that the proportion of caudal extension hair cells and the frequency distribution of those components are correlated. Thus one might conclude that the selective pressures that led to diversity of calls among the 8 species also led to diversity in form of the amphibian papilla.Abbreviations AP amphibian papilla - BEF best excitatory frequency - PR Puerto Rican - SEM scanning electron microscope - SVL snout-vent length - TC tectorial corner - TM tectorial membrane     

Seed predation,disease and germination on landslides in Neotropical lower montane wet forest

Abstract. Seed mortality (caused by predators and pathogens) and germination were compared between Puerto Rico and Costa Rica on landslides in lower montane wet forest. Seeds of six common species on five Puerto Rican landslides and four common species on two Costa Rican landslides were used with a Cecropia species and a Gonzalagunia species included at both sites. In the Puerto Rican experiments Cecropia schreberiana was the only species to show significant seed predation (which was due to insects), pathogens grew from all species and fewer seeds were lost to predators than pathogens. Also in Puerto Rico mean germination across all species was 57 % before dispersal (filled seeds collected while still on the tree) and 71 % after, with Phytolacca rivinoides seeds germinating most abundantly, followed in descending order by Ocotea leucoxylon, Cecropia spec, Miconia racemosa, Palicourea riparia and Gonzalagunia spicata. In the Costa Rican experiments three species had significant predation: Cecropia polyphlebia and Urera caracasana (both due to insects) and Witheringia coccoloboides (due to mammals); pathogenic disease caused more seed loss than predation, and germination was high (61 % pre-dispersal, 69 % post-dispersal). Similarities between these island and mainland sites included (1) percentage of seeds lost to predation and percentage lost to pathogens (all in the 5–15 % range), (2) generalist pathogens which claimed more seeds than predators and (3) majority germination with a general increase after dispersal. Finally sites were dissimilar only in the number of species with significant predation loss and whether it was by insects or mammals, casting doubt on the traditional island/mainland dichotomy.     

Habitat Selection and Movement of Pond-Breeding Amphibians in Experimentally Fragmented Pine Forests

ABSTRACT Population-level responses of amphibians to forest management regimes are partly dictated by individual behavioral responses to habitat alteration. We examined the short-term (i.e., 24-hr) habitat choices and movement patterns of 3 amphibian species—southern leopard frogs (Rana sphenocephala), marbled salamanders (Ambystoma opacum), and southern toads (Bufo terrestris)—released on edges between forest habitats and recent clear-cuts in the Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA. We predicted that adult frogs and salamanders would preferentially select forest using environmental cues as indicators of habitat suitability. We also predicted that movement patterns would differ in clear-cuts relative to forests, resulting in lower habitat permeability of clear-cuts for some or all of the species. Using fluorescent powder tracking, we determined that marbled salamanders selected habitat at random, southern toads preferred clear-cuts, and southern leopard frogs initially selected clear-cuts but ultimately preferred forests. Frogs exhibited long-distance, directional movement with few turns. In contrast, toads exhibited wandering behavior and salamanders moved relatively short distances before locating cover. Southern toads and southern leopard frogs moved farther in forests, and all 3 species made more turns in clear-cuts than in forests. Habitat selection by southern toads did not vary according to body size, sex, or the environmental cues we measured. However, marbled salamanders were more likely to enter clear-cuts when soil moisture was high, and southern leopard frogs were more likely to enter clear-cuts when relative humidity and air temperature were higher in the clear-cut than in adjacent forest. Although we found evidence of reduced habitat permeability of clear-cuts for southern leopard frogs and southern toads, none of the species exhibited strong behavioral avoidance of the small (4-ha) clear-cuts in our study. Further studies of long-term habitat use and the potential physiological and other costs to individuals in altered forests are needed to understand the effects of forest management on population persistence. To reduce potentially detrimental effects of clear-cutting on amphibians in the Southeast, wildlife managers should consider the vagility and behavior of species of concern, especially in relation to the size of planned harvests adjacent to breeding sites.     

Chytrid prevalence and infection intensity in treefrogs from three environments with different degrees of conservation in Mexico

Chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has been related to rapid population declines and extinction in amphibians around the world. Bd has been associated with a severe decline in amphibian populations in southern Mexico. We compare the prevalence and intensity of Bd infection in two tree frogs in southern Mexico with similar life habits (Plectrohyla matudai and Ptychohyla euthysanota), inquiring if they differ across habitat types with different degrees of disturbance: preserved cloud forest, secondary cloud forest and anthropized riparian vegetation, and across three seasons. We examine the relationship between infection prevalence and intensity with biotic and abiotic variables. Infection prevalence differed between the two species, but not among environments, despite their similar life habits. Among seasons, prevalence decreased significantly at the end of the rainy season. There was no indication of significant changes in infection intensity between species, environments, and seasons. Moreover, the interaction among extrinsic factors (canopy cover, temperature, relative humidity) and factors intrinsic factors (body condition) explains the dynamics of Bd infection in the region. In our sample, we found no disease-affected individuals, which may indicate that both species are resistant to the effects of the pathogen under field conditions. Finally, our results found no evidence to indicate that open canopies and anthropized habitats of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas are a refuge that prevents high prevalence or infection of Bd in stream breeders' amphibians. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.     

Chromosomes of some Puerto Rican flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae): multiple cytogenetic evolutionary tendencies in the neotropics

Meiotic chromosomes of 10 West Indian flea beetles with restricted distribution, including eight Puerto Rican endemics, were studied. Two species of the cosmopolitan Longitarsus resemble Old World congenerics in having meioformulae 13 + Xy and 14 + Xy, both with one pair of enlarged autosomes. One unidentified species of Aphthona seems to have achiasmatic meiosis. Among the Puerto Rican endemics, repeated fusions have produced low-numbered karyotypes in Homoschema latitarsum (2 + neoXY, now the lowest meioformula known for the Chrysomelidae) and Heikertingerella krugi (4 + neoXY). Three species of Aedmon have 18 + Xy_p as a result of a series of centric fissions from the Polyphagan ancestral condition of nine pairs. Phyllotrupes sp. (a new genus record for Puerto Rico, near P. acutangula ) and Pseudodisonycha portoricensis have 17 + Xy and 16 + Xy, respectively, plus a swarm of supernumerary chromosomes.     

Seedling and Sapling Dynamics of Treefall Pits in Puerto Rico1

Seedling and sapling dynamics in a Puerto Rican rain forest were compared between forest understory and soil pits created by the uprooting of 27 trees during Hurricane Hugo. Soil N and P, organic matter, and soil moisture were lower and bulk densities were higher in the disturbed mineral soils of the pits than in undisturbed forest soils ten months after the hurricane. No differences in N and P levels were found in pit or forest soils under two trees with N–fixing symbionts (Inga laurina and Ormosia krugii) compared to soils under a tree species without N–fixing sym–bionts (Casearia arborea), but other soil variables (Al, Fe, K) did vary by tree species. Forest plots had greater species richness of seedlings (<10 cm tall) and saplings (10–100 cm tall) than plots in the soil pits (and greater sapling densities), but seedling densities were similar between plot types. Species richness and seedling densities did not vary among plots associated with the three tree species, but some saplings were more abundant under trees of the same species. Pit size did not affect species richness or seedling and sapling densities. Recruitment of young Cecropia schreberiana trees (>5 m tall) 45 months after the hurricane was entirely from the soil pits, with no tree recruitment from forest plots. Larger soil pits had more tree recruitment than smaller pits. Defoliation of the forest by the hurricane created a large but temporary increase in light availability. Recruitment of C. schreberiana to the canopy occurred in gaps created by the treefall pits that had lower soil nutrients but provided a longer–term increase in light availability. Treefall pits also significantly altered the recruitment and mortality of many understory species in the Puerto Rican rain forest but did not alter species richness.     

Unreported yet massive deforestation driving loss of endemic biodiversity in Indian Himalaya

Deforestation is a primary driver of biotic extinctions in the tropics. The impacts of deforestation in tropical biodiversity hotspots are of particular concern because these regions contain high concentrations of globally endemic species. However, the effects of large-scale deforestation on native biotas within the biodiversity hotspot of Himalaya remain poorly documented. Here we report on an alarming trend of deforestation in the Indian Himalaya and project the likely consequential extinctions of endemic taxa (species and subspecies) by 2100 across a broad range of taxonomic groups, including gymnosperms, angiosperms, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. With the current level of deforestation, by 2100 only about 10% of the land area of the Indian Himalaya will be covered by dense forest (>40% canopy cover)—a scenario in which almost a quarter of the endemic species could be wiped out, including 366 endemic vascular plant taxa and 35 endemic vertebrate taxa. We also show that inaccurate reporting of forest cover data by governmental institutions can result in underestimations of the biological impacts of deforestation, as well as potential miscalculations in land-use decisions (e.g., the construction of hydroelectric dams). Large-scale conservation efforts, including forest protection and reforestation, are urgently needed to avoid the impending deforestation-driven biodiversity losses in the Himalaya.     

Persistence with Chytridiomycosis Does Not Assure Survival of Direct-developing Frogs

The chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been linked to extinction and decline of numerous amphibians. We studied the population-level effects of Bd in two post-decline anuran species, Eleutherodactylus coqui and E. portoricensis, at El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico. Data on amphibian abundance was updated to report long-term population trends. Mark–recapture data was used to monitor Bd-infection status and estimate survival probabilities of infected versus uninfected adults. Prevalence of Bd (number of infected/total sampled) and individual infection level (number of zoospores) were compared among age classes at Palo Colorado Forest (661 m) and Elfin Forest (850 m). Results revealed that both species continued to decrease in Palo Colorado Forest, while in the Elfin Forest, E. portoricensis recuperated from drastic declines. Age class, season, and locality significantly predicted zoospore load. Age was also significantly associated with high zoospores loads among Bd-positive frogs, and the prevalence of Bd was higher in juveniles than adults in all populations studied. We suggest that early age represents a critical life stage in the survival of direct-developing frogs infected by this fungus. Survival probability was always higher for uninfected frogs, but recapture rates of infected versus uninfected adults were significantly different only in Palo Colorado, alerting that the negative effect of Bd infection under enzootic conditions is greater at mid-elevations. This work contributes to our understanding of how direct-developing amphibians persist with Bd, pointing to critical life stages and synergistic interactions that may induce fluctuations and/or declines in the wild.     

Evidence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</Emphasis> Infection in Water Frogs of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rana esculenta</Emphasis> Complex in Central Italy

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (phylum Chytridiomycota, order Chytridiales) is the causative organism of chytridiomycosis in amphibians, a disease associated with their population decline worldwide. In this work, we report a cutaneous infection in water frogs of the Rana esculenta complex in agricultural areas of Umbria, central Italy. Histological, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and molecular analyses demonstrated for the first time the presence of the Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in this complex; to date, no association between the presence of chytrid fungal infection and mortality has been found, to our knowledge. However, the presence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in the water frogs of the Rana esculenta complex is of concern because the frogs could act as a reservoir species and contribute to the decline of less resistant species.     

Climate as a driver of tropical insular diversity: comparative phylogeography of two ecologically distinctive frogs in Puerto Rico

The effects of late Quaternary climate on distributions and evolutionary dynamics of insular species are poorly understood in most tropical archipelagoes. We used ecological niche models under past and current climate to derive hypotheses regarding how stable climatic conditions shaped genetic diversity in two ecologically distinctive frogs in Puerto Rico. Whereas the mountain coquí Eleutherodactylus portoricensis is restricted to montane forest in the Cayey and Luquillo Mountains, the red‐eyed coquí E. antillensis is a habitat generalist distributed across the entire Puerto Rican Bank (Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, excluding St Croix). To test our hypotheses, we conducted phylogeographic and population genetic analyses based on mitochondrial and nuclear loci of each species across their range in Puerto Rico. Patterns of population differentiation in E. portoricensis, but not in E. antillensis, supported our hypotheses. For E. portoricensis, these patterns include: individuals isolated by long‐term unsuitable climate in the Río Grande de Loíza Basin in eastern Puerto Rico belong to different genetic clusters; past and current climate strongly predicted genetic differentiation; and Cayey and Luquillo Mountains populations split prior to the last interglacial. For E. antillensis, these patterns include: genetic clusters did not fully correspond to predicted long‐term unsuitable climate; and past and current climate weakly predicted patterns of genetic differentiation. Genetic signatures in E. antillensis are consistent with a recent range expansion into western Puerto Rico, possibly resulting from climate change and anthropogenic influences. As predicted, regions with a large area of long‐term suitable climate were associated with higher genetic diversity in both species, suggesting larger and more stable populations. Finally, we discussed the implications of our findings for developing evidence‐based management decisions for E. portoricensis, a taxon of special concern. Our findings illustrate the role of persistent suitable climatic conditions in promoting the persistence and diversification of tropical island organisms.     

Amphibian communities along a forest degradation gradient in an East African forest reserve

The amphibian communities in Africa's tropical forests are of global conservation importance, but disturbances derived from anthropological activities threaten to dismantle this irreplaceable diversity. We explored the impacts of forest degradation on the amphibian community in Mabira Central Forest Reserve, Uganda. We sampled amphibians from March to July of 2015 in plots that were positioned along a gradient of forest degradation. We conducted visual encounter surveys across three categories of forest degradation with six 300-m transects in each (four surveys per transect). From 216 h of surveyor effort, we detected 3563 individual frogs representing 30 species from eight families and 13 genera. Hyperoliidae was the most diverse family represented by 13 species in four genera. Hyperolius had the highest number of species (nine) followed by four genera each represented by three species (Phrynobatrachus, Pytchadena, Leptopelis, and Sclerophrys). Comparisons among plots along a gradient of forest degradation revealed differences in species richness, composition, and frequency of encounters. The regenerating and degraded forest plots were similar in species composition to each other and were dominated by mostly widespread, open-canopy species. Several forest-dependent species were recorded in both the regenerating and mature forest plots but were absent from the degraded plots. In the regenerating and mature forests, species presence was significantly associated with high canopy cover, high relative humidity, and dense leaf litter, whereas the microhabitat variables of high grass cover and high temperature were most influential in the degraded forests. Our study provides important data on an Afrotropical amphibian community and suggests that forest degradation has dramatically altered the habitat to the detriment of forest specialist species.     

Assessing the value of secondary forest for amphibians: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eleutherodactylus</Emphasis> frogs in a gradient of forest alteration

Secondary forests constitute a growing portion of forested areas worldwide. They might have a substantial role for the conservation of biodiversity in tropical areas, but there is little information on their potential to support forest species and the recovery of faunal communities. We studied two forest frogs (Eleutherodactylus diastema and E. fitzingeri) in an area of Costa Rica composed of a mosaic of primary forest, young secondary forest and pasture, and we compared the density of calling males in areas with different forest alteration. Autoregressive models were used to compensate for potentially undesired effects of spatial autocorrelation and pseudoreplication. Both species were most abundant in riparian, primary forest. However, E. fitzingeri was also abundant in riparian secondary forests, and its density far from the river was similar in primary and secondary forest, suggesting that river proximity can influence the recovery of secondary forest for amphibians. Conversely, the density of E. diastema was similar in secondary forest and pasture, stressing interspecific differences for recovery rate. These frogs have a keystone role in nutrient cycling and food webs, and their prompt recovery might represent an important step for the functional recovery of forests. Nevertheless, the strong interspecific differences stress the complexity of these processes.     

A new genus and species of 'giant hutia' (Tainotherium valei) from the Quaternary of Puerto Rico: an extinct arboreal quadruped?

A large incomplete rodent femur from a Quaternary cave deposit near Barahona, Puerto Rico, is established as the holotype of Tainotherium valei , a new extinct genus and species. Although biogeographic and body size similarities suggest that it may be related to the Puerto Rican giant hutia Elasmodontomys , the Antillean large-bodied rodent family Heptaxodontidae is now interpreted as invalid, and it is impossible to assign Tainotherium to a particular caviomorph family in the absence of associated craniodental material. Tainotherium differs from other West Indian species in possessing a large femoral head, a proximally angled femoral neck, a short greater trochanter and a medially positioned lesser trochanter unconnected by an intertrochanteric crest, and a transversely flattened, anteroposteriorly bowed shaft lacking well-defined ridges. These characters are all associated with arboreal life habits in other mammal groups. The Puerto Rican land mammal fauna was dominated by a rodent radiation occupying a wide variety of niches before human arrival in the West Indies, but although arboreality is correlated with increased likelihood of survival in Quaternary mammalian extinction events, all of this fauna is now extinct. It is unlikely that decreasing aridity and the reduction of Puerto Rican savanna-type environments at the end of the Pleistocene contributed to the extinction of the arboreal Tainotherium , and habitat destruction by pre-Columbian Amerindians may instead have been responsible.     

Correlates of virulence in a frog-killing fungal pathogen: evidence from a California amphibian decline

The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has caused declines and extinctions in amphibians worldwide, and there is increasing evidence that some strains of this pathogen are more virulent than others. While a number of putative virulence factors have been identified, few studies link these factors to specific epizootic events. We documented a dramatic decline in juvenile frogs in a Bd-infected population of Cascades frogs (Rana cascadae) in the mountains of northern California and used a laboratory experiment to show that Bd isolated in the midst of this decline induced higher mortality than Bd isolated from a more stable population of the same species of frog. This highly virulent Bd isolate was more toxic to immune cells and attained higher density in liquid culture than comparable isolates. Genomic analyses revealed that this isolate is nested within the global panzootic lineage and exhibited unusual genomic patterns, including increased copy numbers of many chromosomal segments. This study integrates data from multiple sources to suggest specific phenotypic and genomic characteristics of the pathogen that may be linked to disease-related declines.     

Bird Perches Increase Forest Seeds on Puerto Rican Landslides

Abstract Landslides result in the loss of vertical vegetative structure, soil nutrients, and the soil seed bank. These losses impede timely recovery of tropical forest communities. In this study we added bird perches to six Puerto Rican landslides with three types of surfaces (bare, climbing fern, grass) in an effort to facilitate inputs of forest seeds through bird dispersal and to accelerate plant succession. Numbers of bird‐dispersed forest seeds were significantly higher in plots beneath introduced perches than in control plots. Perches did not increase forest seedling densities compared with control plots. Seven different species of birds were observed on introduced perches. Because 99% of the seed inputs to controls and perch plots in the six landslides were wind‐dispersed seeds (mostly graminoids), perches can improve landslide restoration if woody plants establish and shade out the dominant graminoid and climbing fern ground cover. Although increasing seed inputs from forest species is a critical step in accelerating revegetation of landslides, we suggest that supplemental restoration techniques be applied in addition to bird perches to promote forest recovery.     

Bryophyte Species Diversity in Secondary Forests Dominated by the Introduced Species Spathodea campanulata Beauv. in Puerto Rico

The introduced tree species Spathodea campanulata (Bignoniaceae) forms novel forests in Puerto Rico, these having emerged after the abandonment of fields in the mid‐20th century and resulting in forests with a new species composition. We assessed bryophyte species richness in these novel forests and sought correlations with geological substrate, past land use, forest edge and patch area, forest structure, elevation, microhabitat diversity, tree species richness, and microclimatic conditions. Transects were established (edge and forest interior) in nine moist forest patches dominated by Spathodea in north‐central Puerto Rico. These Spathodea forest patches ranged from 0.6 to 9 ha. ANOVA, Chi‐square, correlation, and cluster analyses were used in data analyses. We found 57 bryophyte species. There was a significant difference in bryophyte richness among patches. Those on karst exhibited highest bryophyte richness due to microhabitat diversity, past land use, and shorter hydroperiods. Alluvial sites scored lowest in bryophyte species richness, and forest structure was important for bryophyte communities on these sites. Significant differences in temperature, relative humidity, and light intensity were observed between edge and forest interior. These appeared important for establishing bryophyte species cover but not richness and composition. Microhabitat diversity, patch area, and forest age were more related to bryophyte species richness than elevation, exposed edge, and tree species richness, regardless of geologic substrate. Collectively, Spathodea patches were similar to mature forests on the Island with respect to bryophyte species richness and composition. Novel Spathodea forests have conservation value due to their habitat suitability for bryophyte communities.     

Reptiles and frogs use most land cover types as habitat in a fine‐grained agricultural landscape

Agricultural landscapes comprise much of the earth's terrestrial surface. However, knowledge about how animals use and move through these landscapes is limited, especially for small and cryptic taxa, such as reptiles and amphibians. We aimed to understand the influence of land use on reptile and frog movement in a fine‐grained grazing landscape. We surveyed reptiles and frogs using pitfall and funnel traps in transects located in five land use types: 1) woodland remnants, 2) grazed pastures, 3) coarse woody debris added to grazed pastures, 4) fences in grazed pastures and 5) linear plantings within grazed pastures. We found that the different land cover types influenced the types and distances moved by different species and groups of species. Reptiles moved both within, and out of, grazed paddocks more than they did in woodland remnants. In contrast, frogs exhibited varying movement behaviours. The smooth toadlet (Uperoleia laevigata) moved more often and longer distances within remnants than within paddocks. The spotted marsh frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis) moved out of grazed pastures more than out of pastures with coarse woody debris added or fences and were never recaptured in plantings. We found that most recaptured reptiles and frogs (76.3%) did not move between trapping arrays, which added to evidence that they perceived most of the land cover types as habitat. We suggest that even simple fences may provide conduits for movement in the agricultural landscape for frogs. Otherwise, most reptile and frog species used all land cover types as habitat, though of varying quality. Reptiles appeared to perceive the woodland remnants as the highest quality habitat. This landscape is fine‐grained which may facilitate movement and persistence due to high heterogeneity in vegetation cover over short distances. Therefore, intensification and increasing the size of human land use may have negative impacts on these taxa.