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Science 14 December 2007:
Vol. 318. no. 5857, pp. 1775 - 1777
DOI: 10.1126/science.1149374
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Reports

Habitat Split and the Global Decline of Amphibians

Carlos Guilherme Becker,1,2 Carlos Roberto Fonseca,2* Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad,3 Rômulo Fernandes Batista,4 Paulo Inácio Prado5

The worldwide decline in amphibians has been attributed to several causes, especially habitat loss and disease. We identified a further factor, namely "habitat split"—defined as human-induced disconnection between habitats used by different life history stages of a species—which forces forest-associated amphibians with aquatic larvae to make risky breeding migrations between suitable aquatic and terrestrial habitats. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, we found that habitat split negatively affects the richness of species with aquatic larvae but not the richness of species with terrestrial development (the latter can complete their life cycle inside forest remnants). This mechanism helps to explain why species with aquatic larvae have the highest incidence of population decline. These findings reinforce the need for the conservation and restoration of riparian vegetation.

1 Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 13083-970 Campinas SP, Brazil.
2 Laboratório de Interação Animal-Planta, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, 93022-970 São Leopoldo RS, Brazil.
3 Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Cx. Postal 199, 13506-900 Rio Claro SP, Brazil.
4 Secretaria Estadual do Meio Ambiente e Desenvolvimento Sustentável do Amazonas, 69050-030 Manaus AM, Brazil.
5 Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-900 São Paulo SP, Brazil.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: cfonseca{at}unisinos.br

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Comment on "Habitat Split and the Global Decline of Amphibians".
D. C. Cannatella (2008)
Science 320, 874c
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Response to Comment on "Habitat Split and the Global Decline of Amphibians".
C. R. Fonseca, C. G. Becker, C. F. B. Haddad, and P. I. Prado (2008)
Science 320, 874d
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)