Ecological correlates of species richness and population abundance patterns in the amphibian communities from the Albertine Rift, East Africa |
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Authors: | Mathias Behangana Panta M B Kasoma Luca Luiselli |
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Institution: | (1) Makerere University Institute of Environment and Natural Resource, P.O. Box 7298, Kampala, Uganda;(2) PRIME/West Project, Kampala Office, P.O. Box 23010, Kampala, Uganda;(3) Centre of Environmental Studies Demetra and F.I.Z.V. (Ecology), via Olona 7, 00198 Rome, Italy |
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Abstract: | Broad-scale ecological correlates affecting species richness and abundance patterns of amphibians were studied in 37 sampling
sites from 15 independent protected areas in the Albertine Rift, East Africa. Amphibians were caught by a combination of sampling
techniques, including time-constrained visual searching, pitfalls with drift fences, dip-netting, and opportunistic observations.
In total, 73 species of amphibians were recorded, some of them occurring only once in the samples and some more than 1,000
times. Once relative field effort at each study site was taken into account, multivariate regression analyses showed that
amphibian species richness was positively influenced by percent canopy cover and altitude. On the other hand, population abundance
was influenced by a combination of three different variables: positively by percent canopy cover and rainfall, and negatively
by human activities. The rainforest proved to play a very important role in the ecological distribution of species, with about
63% of the species being in one way or the other linked to it either as forest specialists, inhabitants of forest ecotones,
or inhabitants of both forests and forest ecotones. These results have wide conservation implications. Indeed, as the mature
rainforest habitat (especially at mid altitude-highland) proved to be the key habitat for the amphibian communities of the
Albertine Rift, it should be a priority to recommend an accurate management and conservation of mature forests in local and
regional protection programs. |
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