REPORT PROJECT: EVALUATION AMPHIBIAN THREATENED IN KEY SITE IN COLOMBIA Work ...

54 Pages·2009·3.63 MB·English

REPORT PROJECT:

EVALUATION AMPHIBIAN THREATENED IN KEY SITE IN
COLOMBIA

Work Zone
Colombia Country
Researchers
VICTOR FABIO LUNA MORA
RICARDO ANDRES MEDINA RENGIFO
MANUEL GILBERTO GUAYARA
OSCAR GALLEGO CARVAJAL

COLOMBIA
2009

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INTRODUCTION

Colombia has present 764 species of amphibians among frogs, caecilias and salamanders, being the
country with the highest number of amphibian species per unit area, unfortunately, it is the country
with the highest number of threatened species worldwide with about 208, whose distribution range is
restricted and many depend on a single locality.

Colombia is one of the privileged countries worldwide for its geographical position in the tropical belt,
it is one of the most diverse countries worldwide, with a great variety of ecosystems and favorable
habitats for the development of the herpetofauna. Considering this problem it was performed a
proposal for the study of threatened species at national level, allowing assessing the population
status, ecology, threats, and developing environmental education activities at the study site.

In this study those fifteen species were chosen for study which are: Atelopus sonsonensis CR,
Atopophrynus sintomopus CR, Pritimatis scoloblepharus EN, Pristimantis maculosus EN, Pristimantis
lémur EN, Bolitoglossa hypacra VU, Atelopus nicefori CR, Atelopus carauta CR, Pristimantis
polychrus EN, Atelopus nahumae CR, Atelopus laetissimus CR, Colostethus ruthveni EN,
Pristimantis insignitus EN. Some of them are not reported by investigators from their original
descriptions or years ago where some of them were abundant.

Given the vacuum of information on amphibian species in our country and the need for development
and creation of basic knowledge about them, the present work aims to assess the population status
of 15 threatened species, while generating research about the ecology and biology of some frogs so

rare and poorly studied.

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MAIN OBJECTIVES

1. Determine the current status and habitat requirements of amphibians threatened AZE sites.

2. Identify the threats of the species and their habitats for conservation priorities.

3. Analyze the views of local people and provide basic training for active participation in
amphibian sampling techniques.

4. Implement environmental education campaigns aimed at local communities in endangered
sites.

5. Preliminary design of an action plan for long-term conservation of amphibians and AZE sites
threatened.

STUDY AREA

Zone 1. Natural Reserve of the Golden birds (Proaves), in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, located
North of the Andes in the Caribbean, reaching an altitude of 5775 msnm. This area has marked
endemic species of amphibians and fauna, in general.

Zone 2-3. Located in the Cordillera Central. One of the most threatened and intervene ecosystems
where it has cut more than 90% of the masses of native forests. The first site is located in the
municipality of Sonsón department Antioquia in the rural reserve and the second site is in the
municipality of Falan, department of Tolima.

Zone 4. Located in the Natural Reserve of Hummingbird of the Sun (Proaves), in the municipality of
Urrao, zone of confluence Pacifica and Andean with the West Mountain. In this area and in areas of

the central mountains are the “Cloud Forests”, one of the ecosystems destroyed in Colombia.

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Figure 1. Study Sites. Source: Google Earth.

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METHODOLOGY

The methodology of this study is divided in two parts, one part it will carry out with the local
community, regional or government entities and the student population of the locations; the second
consists on the development of the scientific study of the first phase of the project.

Socialization Project

The first approach was carried out with regional, governmental entities, and community action boards
of the towns, it will be presented a detailed presentation of the developed project to them. Then it will
make a presentation of project for timely reported of project progress to the entire community.
Besides, a survey will be conducted to determine the state of knowledge of amphibians, habitat and
threats at each study area.

For the development of environmental education activities have been demarcated some key
components for the amphibian conservation project:

 Identification of rural schools.
 Children from different grades.
 Environmental education workshops with children, youths and adults.
 Development of educational games
 Chats about nature, fauna and conservation

The academic activities will be organized taking into account the academic grades in each school and
the people in the activity, because the number of children in each grade varies by institution; these
will be focused on knowledge and conservation of amphibians and some species of interest to the
study area.
Field Methods

It first began to tour the study area and identify sites where are the four species of threatened
amphibians. Then it will proceed to identify areas for establishing the study sites, transects and pitfall
traps, with the following methodology:

ESTIMATING POPULATION SIZE

For population size estimation using the capture recapture method. Within the study site will be
established six sampling places where they reported the the presence of the four species under
study; in each place two transects of 100 meters it will be established which shall be inspected by
gathering visual method (V.E.S) and acoustic transects.

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At each tour individuals found will be processed, take the necessary measures and take photographs
of the patterns of dorsal and ventral coloration for their later identification at recapture. Each one of
the sites will be inspected in sequence one days per site. The tours for diurnal species will take place
from 7:00 -11:00 and for nocturnal species from 18:00 to 23:00.

ACOUSTIC TRANSECTS

This technique consists on counting the males are vocalizing along transects previously established
by the VES method, allowing for further information of the species under study, allowing to count
species that are not visible but which are audible in the transects

SAMPLING OF LARVAE
Through strainers or small networks will be caught larvae of some anuran species to determine their
state of development and their abundance in the body of water, some species will be kept in small
containers of assisted ventilation to observe their behavior and development.

ESTABLISHMENT OF PITFALL TRAPS

This method will be a complement of the methodology used. The establishment of traps will be in
strategic places where it can be presumed to have a greater chance of finding the species and where
ground conditions are optimal (ie close to bodies of water). It will be used two kinds of pitfall traps for
this type of study, the first is Y-shaped and the second is a linear (figures 2 a,b).

PITFALL TRAPS Y-SHAPED PITFALL TRAPS LINEAR

Figure 2. Modified from Lips, 2001

BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL

To avoid the bad handling of animals and the infection with diseases such as fungus Chytridio that is
declining amphibian populations around the world, we are doing the biosafety protocol for handling
amphibians in field

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RESULTADOS

VISUAL ENCOUNTER (V.E.S)
In the four study areas in Colombia (Municipality Sonson -Antioquia, Municipality Urrao- Antioquia
Nature Reserve Hummingbird of the Sun, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta -Magdalena ural Reserves
of the the Golden birds El Dorado, Municipality Falan-Tolima was found about 46 species of
amphibians belonging to 3 orders, 12 families, 21 genus and the order with the largest number of
families, genus and species was the order Anura with about 90% of the species found in study, were
more abundant in our country with about 714 of the 764 sp sp amphibian, making Colombia the
country with highest number of amphibian species per unit area in the world (Figure 3 and Table 1).

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Figure 3. Distribution of amphibian species in the study sites Source: Authors

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Order Family Genus Specie Status
AROMOBATIDAE Rheobates Rheobates palmatus LC
Atelopus Atelopus nahumae CR*
Atelopus laetissimus CR*
BUFONIDAE Rhinella Rhinella granulosa LC
Rhinella marina LC
Rhinella gr margaritifera LC
Rhinella sp 1 LC
CENTROLENIDAE Centrolene Centrolene grandisonae LC
Centrolene tayrona VU*
Cochranella Cochranella punctulata VU*
Cochranella susatamai VU*
Cochranella sp LC
CRAUGASTORIDAE Craugastor Craugastor raniformis LC
CRYPTOBATRACHIDAE Cryptobatrachus Cryptobatrachus boulengeri EN*
DENDROBATIDAE Colostethus Colostethus fraterdanielli LC
Colostethus ruthveni EN*
ANURA
Dendrobates Dendrobates truncatus LC
Ranitomeya Ranitomeya dorisswansonae CR*
Ranitomeya tolimense EN*
Dendrosophus Dendropsophus columbianus LC
Dendropsophus bogerti LC
HYLIDAE Hyloscirtus Hyloscirtus larinopygion NT
Hypsiboas Hypsiboas pugnax LC
Hypsiboas rufitelus LC
Scinax Scinax sp LC
Smilisca Smilisca phaeota LC
LEIUPERIDAE Engystomops Engystomops pustulosus LC
LECTODACTYLIDAE Leptodactylus Leptodactylus fuscus LC
Geobatrachus Geobatrachus walkeri EN*
Pristimantis Pristimantis aemulatus DD
Pristimantis carmelitae DD
Pristimantis cristinae DD
Pristimantis fallax
EN*
STRABOMANTIDAE Pristimantis insignitus
EN*
Pristimantis megalops
NT
Pristimantis ruthveni
EN*
Pristimantis sanctaemartae
NT
Pristimantis tayrona
NT
Pristimantis viridis
NT
Pristimantis sp 1
NT
Pristimantis sp 2
NT
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CAUDATA PLETHODONTIDAE Bolitoglossa Bolitoglossa hypacra VU*
Bolitoglossa ramosi LC
Bolitoglossa savagei DD
NT
Bolitoglossa sp
GYMNOPHIONA CAECILIDAE Caecilia Caecilia sp NT

Table 1. Species collected in the field phase. * Species with some degree of threat. Sources Autors.

FAMILY BUFONIDAE

Rhinella gr margaritifera Rhinella sp

FAMILY HYLIDAE

Dendropsophus colombianus Dendropsophus bogerti Hypsiboas pugnax

Hyloscirtus larinopygion Smilisca phaeota

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FAMILY CENTROLENIDAE FAMILY LEPTODACTYLIDAE

Leptodactylus fuscus
Centrolene sp
FAMILY STRABOMANTIDAE

Pristimantis sp 1 Pristimantis sp 2 Pristimantis sp 3
FAMILY PLETHODONTIDAE

Bolitoglossa sp

Table 2. Species identified for the town of Sonson. Source: Authors

In the study in the municipality of Sonson not be able to find the species under study in this area were
reported 2 orders, 6 families and 14 species, families with greater abundance and diversity was the
Hylidae family with 5 genus and 6 species, also found the presence of 2 suborders order Squamata
(Sauria and Ophidia) , which presents 2 families (Colubridae and Polychrotidae) with 4 species
(family Colubridae for 3 and 1 for the family Polychrotidae).

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