Diversidad y estado de conservación de los anfibios en el norte del cantón Zapotillo

Abstract

Abstract: The diversity of amphibians in dry forests is low, but they have important adaptations to survive in extreme environmental conditions. The dry forests of southern Ecuador (Loja province) conserve the least disturbed areas. This work is focused on evaluating the presence of amphibians in remnants of dry forest north of the Zapotillo canton, to generate proposals for the conservation of dry forest amphibians. A bibliographic review and field inventories were carried out during the winter period of 2020, applying the method of Visual Encounter Surveys. A database of 529 records belonging to 14 species of 7 families was obtained. Thematic cartography was prepared relating the presence of amphibians with vegetation cover, land use, rivers, among others. Of the data obtained, 12 of the 14 species are found in private and/or municipal protected areas. The most common species were Rhinella horribilisand Leptodactylus labrosus.The results show that the Cazaderos Reserve and the Los Guayacanes Municipal Conservation Area are important for amphibian conservation.