The Herpetological Journal

pp. 339-345

Authors: Lilian Sayuri Ouchi de Melo, Thiago Gonçalves-Souza, Michel Varajão Garey & Denise de
Cerqueira

Abstract: Anurans inhabiting lentic and lotic water bodies show distinct responses to environmental and spatial variables due to dispersal
by adults and microhabitat selection by tadpoles, which creates a hierarchical structure in these metacommunities. Aiming to
understand the influence of tadpole microhabitat selection and adult dispersal on species richness distribution, we tested the
influence of microhabitat environmental variables and habitat spatial variables on tadpole richness in lentic and lotic water
bodies located in the Atlantic Rainforest. We sampled tadpoles in 99 lentic microhabitats and 288 lotic microhabitats for
seven months. We performed a Hierarchical Partitioning Analysis to test the influence of environmental and spatial variables.
The percentage of aquatic vegetation within microhabitats and the main spatial gradient (dbMEM1) affected species richness
in lentic water bodies. Sand percentage, aquatic vegetation, and depth in the microhabitat and small-scale spatial gradient
(dbMEM4) affected species richness in lotic water bodies. Spatial processes indicate an influence of adult dispersal limitation
in search of reproductive habitats. The influence of microhabitat variables was mostly related to the amount of aquatic
vegetation, indicating the influence of environmental processes on the larval phase of anuran life cycle. In conclusion, both
environmental and spatial processes are driving the species richness in microhabitats inside lentic and lotic water bodies in
the Atlantic Rainforest.

Keywords: Amphibians; biodiversity hotspot; microhabitat; species number; Tropical Rainforest