Biodiversity

Biography

Biography: Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha

Abstract

During large-scale field surveys in Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern Brazil, we analyzed how the biodiversity, density and similarity of frogs varied along the forested landscape in the Atlantic Rainforest Biome. We estimated frog biodiversity based on intensive field surveys sampling frog assemblages in nine Atlantic Rainforest areas covering all regions of the state. At each locality, we employed similar sampling effort in different periods of day in order to sample both diurnal and nocturnal species. Our searches in the areas totaled 706 sampling hours, recording 817 individual frogs from 69 species. Mean species richness varied among areas being highest at Estação Ecológica Paraíso - EEP (21 species) and lower in Parque Estadual Desengano - PED (9 species). Analyzing each frog species separately, abundance and density varied markedly among areas. Frog-species-independent overall abundances also varied consistently among areas being highest at Area Proteção da Mantiqueira (APAM) (133 individuals) and lower in PED (37 individuals). NMDS analysis showed that higher similarity in frog communities was found between Reserva Rio das Pedras (RERP) and Serra Concórdia (SC) and between EEP and Reserva Guapiaçu (REGUA). Our study evidences a trend for a conspicuous change in biodiversity of frogs along the forested landscape in Rio de Janeiro and most of such change may be explained based on geographic distance among areas possibly reflecting also structural and altitudinal differences among areas. Our results indicated the need of conservation efforts on amphibian species, especially in those frog-rich areas of the state.