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Vega-Yánez MA, Quezada-Riera AB, Rios-Touma B, Vizcaíno-Barba MDC, Millingalli W, Ganzino O, Coloma LA, Tapia EE, Dupérré N, Páez-Vacas M, Parra-Puente D, Franco-Mena D, Gavilanes G, Salazar-Valenzuela D, Valle CA, Guayasamin JM. Path for recovery: an ecological overview of the Jambato Harlequin Toad (Bufonidae: Atelopus ignescens) in its last known locality, Angamarca Valley, Ecuador. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17344. [PMID: 38915382 PMCID: PMC11195548 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The Jambato Harlequin toad (Atelopus ignescens), a formerly abundant species in the Andes of Ecuador, faced a dramatic population decline in the 1980s, with its last recorded sighting in 1988. The species was considered Extinct by the IUCN until 2016, when a fortuitous discovery of one Jambato by a local boy reignited hope. In this study, we present findings from an investigation conducted in the Angamarca parish, focusing on distribution, abundance, habitat preferences, ecology, disease susceptibility, and dietary habits of the species. In one year we identified 71 individuals at different stages of development in various habitats, with a significant presence in agricultural mosaic areas and locations near water sources used for crop irrigation, demonstrating the persistence of the species in a complex landscape, with considerable human intervention. The dietary analysis based on fecal samples indicated a diverse prey selection, primarily comprising arthropods such as Acari, Coleoptera, and ants. Amphibian declines have been associated with diseases and climate change; notably, our study confirmed the presence of the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), but, surprisingly, none of the infected Jambatos displayed visible signs of illness. When analyzing climatic patterns, we found that there are climatic differences between historical localities and Angamarca; the temporal analysis also exposes a generalized warming trend. Finally, in collaboration with the local community, we developed a series of management recommendations for terrestrial and aquatic environments occupied by the Jambato.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateo A. Vega-Yánez
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Maestría en Ecología Tropical y Conservación, Quito, Ecuador
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Calle Diego de Robles s/n y Pampite, Campus Cumbayá, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Blanca Rios-Touma
- Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Medio Ambiente y Salud (BIOMAS). Facultad de Ingenierías y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Vía Nayón S/N, Campus UDLAPARK, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | | | | | - Luis A. Coloma
- Alianza Jambato, Las Casas, Quito, Ecuador
- Centro Jambatu de Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios, Fundación Jambatu, San Rafael, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Elicio E. Tapia
- Leibniz-Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Museum of Nature, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nadine Dupérré
- Leibniz-Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Museum of Nature, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mónica Páez-Vacas
- Alianza Jambato, Las Casas, Quito, Ecuador
- Centro Jambatu de Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios, Fundación Jambatu, San Rafael, Quito, Ecuador
- Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático (BioCamb), Universidad Indoamérica, Machala y Sabanilla, Quito, Ecuador
| | - David Parra-Puente
- Alianza Jambato, Las Casas, Quito, Ecuador
- Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Daniela Franco-Mena
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Calle Diego de Robles s/n y Pampite, Campus Cumbayá, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Gabriela Gavilanes
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Calle Diego de Robles s/n y Pampite, Campus Cumbayá, Quito, Ecuador
| | - David Salazar-Valenzuela
- Alianza Jambato, Las Casas, Quito, Ecuador
- Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático (BioCamb), Universidad Indoamérica, Machala y Sabanilla, Quito, Ecuador
- Ingeniería en Biodiversidad y Recursos Genéticos, Facultad de Ciencias de Medio Ambiente, Universidad Indoamérica, Machala y Sabanilla, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Carlos A. Valle
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Juan M. Guayasamin
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Maestría en Ecología Tropical y Conservación, Quito, Ecuador
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Calle Diego de Robles s/n y Pampite, Campus Cumbayá, Quito, Ecuador
- Alianza Jambato, Las Casas, Quito, Ecuador
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Gould J, Beranek CT. Meal or mate: Exploring the evidence of sexual cannibalism among amphibians. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11576. [PMID: 38873021 PMCID: PMC11168968 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Active forms of cannibalism that involve predation of live conspecifics occur widely among amphibians, most notably by tadpoles that feed on each other and adults that feed on juveniles. In contrast, cannibalism among amphibian adults (adult-adult cannibalism) is less often reported and there have been no investigations on the occurrence of sexual cannibalism in this group to date. In this study, we present an observation of potential sexual cannibalism involving an adult female green and golden bell frog, Litoria aurea, preying on a conspecific adult male during the species' breeding season. By comparing our observation to the available literature, we show that adult-adult cannibalism among amphibians is rare but tends to be committed by females against their male counterparts. We thus suggest that the occurrence of sexual cannibalism should be extended to include this group, where sexual size dimorphism occurs widely among adults that congregate spatially during breeding periods, both predictors of intra-specific predation. We hypothesise that amphibian females may be able to exploit male advertisement calls to differentiate suitable partners from potential prey and that male individuals are vulnerable to sexual cannibalism as they must risk attracting and physically exposing themselves to females in order to reproduce. Our findings reveal the complex dynamics that exist within adult amphibian populations, suggesting that females may have a choice when deciding how to interact with and utilise their male counterparts. As our findings are preliminary, based on a small sample size of records, including several from captive individuals, we encourage authors to publish their observations of cannibalism in the field, including unsuccessful attempts, to confirm the presence of sexual cannibalism in this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Gould
- School of Environmental and Life SciencesUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Chad T. Beranek
- School of Environmental and Life SciencesUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanNew South WalesAustralia
- FAUNA Research AllianceKahibahNew South WalesAustralia
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Gould J, Taylor J, Davies B, Donelly R, Schmahl K, Bugir CK, Beranek CT, McGregor J, Mahony SV, Seeto R, Upton R, McHenry C, Callen A. Tadpole fingerprinting: Using tail venation patterns to photo‐identify tadpole individuals of a threatened frog. AUSTRAL ECOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- John Gould
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
| | - James Taylor
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
| | - Bryce Davies
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
| | - Rachael Donelly
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
| | - Kate Schmahl
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
| | - Cassandra K. Bugir
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
| | - Chad T. Beranek
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
- FAUNA Research Alliance Kahibah New South Wales Australia
| | - Jess McGregor
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
| | - Stephen V. Mahony
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
| | - Rebecca Seeto
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
| | - Rose Upton
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
| | - Colin McHenry
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
| | - Alex Callen
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia
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