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Diversity
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Biodiversity and Conservation of Tree Frogs
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Biodiversity and Conservation of Tree Frogs

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2021) | Viewed by 20181

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Steve A. Johnson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Interests: amphibian and reptile natural history; invasive species management; conservation biology

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Amphibians are among the most imperiled animals globally, and sadly there are many documented instances of recent declines and extinctions. Ongoing threats include disease, habitat loss and modification, climate change, and invasive species. They are a diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates with over 8,000 recognized species, dominated by anurans. Treefrogs in the families Hylidae (Ameroaustralian distribution) and Rhacophoridae (Afroasian distribution) account for 20% of global anuran diversity. Although most closely related to “true frogs” of the family Ranidae, Rhacophorids are ecological equivalents of the New World Hylids. The family Arthroleptidae of sub-Saharan Africa also contains numerous arboreal species. Species within these families exhibit an astounding diversity of behaviors and reproductive strategies. They occur in tropical and temperate rainforests, grasslands, deserts, montane habitats, and suburban areas. Most are excellent climbers and have unique morphological adaptations, such as expanded toepads, for an arboreal lifestyle. This Special Issue focuses on novel research of “treefrogs” within these three families. Broadly, the manuscripts presented here address biodiversity and conservation of these unique frogs and contribute to our understanding of their ecology, conservation, management, threats, and population status.

Prof. Steve A. Johnson
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Treefrogs
  • Hylidae
  • Rhacophoridae
  • Biodiversity
  • Conservation biology
  • Management strategies
  • Threat mitigation
  • Disease
  • Invasive species
  • Population decline & recovery

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2664 KiB  
Article
Assessing Suitable Habitats for Treefrog Species after Previous Declines in Costa Rica
by Héctor Zumbado-Ulate, Catherine L. Searle, Gerardo Chaves, Víctor Acosta-Chaves, Alex Shepack, Stanley Salazar and Adrián García-Rodríguez
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 577; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d13110577 - 12 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5073
Abstract
Treefrogs represent 22% of amphibian species in Costa Rica, but gaps in the knowledge about this group of amphibians can impede conservation efforts. In this study, we first updated the status of Costa Rican treefrogs and found that a total of 38% of [...] Read more.
Treefrogs represent 22% of amphibian species in Costa Rica, but gaps in the knowledge about this group of amphibians can impede conservation efforts. In this study, we first updated the status of Costa Rican treefrogs and found that a total of 38% of treefrog species are threatened according to the most recent IUCN assessment in 2019. Additionally, 21% of Costa Rican treefrog species have a high vulnerability to extinction according to environmental vulnerability scores. Then, we predicted the historical climatic suitability of eight target species that we expected to have exhibited changes in their ranges in the last 20 years. We assessed the location of new occurrence records since 2000 to identify recovery, range expansion, or previously underestimated ranges due to methodological limitations. We also estimated the area of each species’ suitable habitat with two metrics: extent of suitable habitat (ESH) and area of minimum convex polygon (AMCP). Six declined species exhibited recovery (i.e., new occurrences across historical range after 2000), with the widest recovery found in Agalychnis annae. We also found that Isthmohyla pseudopuma appears to have spread after the decline of sympatric species and that the range of I. sukia was originally underestimated due to inadequate detection. We found that the ESH was 32–49% smaller than the AMCP for species that are slowly recovering; however, the ESH is similar or greater than the AMCP for species that are recovering in most of their ranges, as well as rare species with widespread ranges. Results of this work can be used to evaluate the risk of environmental threats and prioritize regions for conservation purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Conservation of Tree Frogs)
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22 pages, 4727 KiB  
Article
Five Independent Lineages Revealed by Integrative Taxonomy in the Dendropsophus nanus–Dendropsophus walfordi Species Complex
by Karin Regina Seger, Bernardo Franco da Veiga Teixeira, Fabiane Santana Annibale, Denise de Cerqueira Rossa-Feres, Albertina Pimentel Lima, Gilda Vasconcellos Andrade, Ariovaldo Antonio Giaretta and Luciana Bolsoni Lourenço
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 522; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d13110522 - 23 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1931
Abstract
One of the many taxonomic challenges found in the Dendropsophus microcephalus species group is the Dendropsophus walfordi distinction from D. nanus. Recent phylogenetic inferences have indicated the paraphyly of these species, although they were not designed to assess this issue. To contribute [...] Read more.
One of the many taxonomic challenges found in the Dendropsophus microcephalus species group is the Dendropsophus walfordi distinction from D. nanus. Recent phylogenetic inferences have indicated the paraphyly of these species, although they were not designed to assess this issue. To contribute to the delimitation of these species, we analyzed the 12S, 16S and COI mitochondrial genes, the morphological traits, and the advertisement calls of specimens from northern Amazonia to Argentina, including the type localities of D. nanus and D. walfordi. Paraphyly of D. nanus with respect to D. walfordi was inferred by maximum-parsimony and Bayesian analyses, and five major clades exhibiting nonoverlapping geographic distributions were recognized. The bPTP and ABGD analyses supported the existence of five independently evolving lineages in this complex. Acoustic and morphological data clearly distinguished the clade that included the topotypes of D. walfordi from the others, corroborating the validity of this species. To avoid the paraphyly of D. nanus with respect to D. walfordi, we recognize the clade distributed from central-southern Brazil to Argentina as D. nanus, the clade distributed in Amazonia as D. walfordi, and discuss the existence of unnamed cryptic species closely related to D. nanus and D. walfordi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Conservation of Tree Frogs)
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13 pages, 2479 KiB  
Article
Invasive Cuban Treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) Have More Robust Locomotor Performance Than Two Native Treefrogs (Hyla spp.) in Florida, USA, in Response to Temperature and Parasitic Infections
by Elizabeth A. Roznik, Natalia Cano, Kerri L. Surbaugh, Chloe T. Ramsay and Jason R. Rohr
Diversity 2021, 13(3), 109; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d13030109 - 05 Mar 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2816
Abstract
Introduced species pose a threat to biodiversity, and ecological and physiological factors are important in determining whether an introduced species becomes successfully established in a new region. Locomotor performance is one such factor that can influence the abundance and distribution of an introduced [...] Read more.
Introduced species pose a threat to biodiversity, and ecological and physiological factors are important in determining whether an introduced species becomes successfully established in a new region. Locomotor performance is one such factor that can influence the abundance and distribution of an introduced species. We investigated the effects of temperature and parasitism by the intestinal nematode Aplectana hamatospicula on the maximum jump distance and endurance in one invasive and two native treefrogs in Florida, USA. We collected frogs from the wild, estimated their parasite loads, and tested their locomotor performance at three temperatures. Contrary to expectations, invasive Cuban treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis), which are adapted to a warmer climate in the Caribbean, outperformed pinewoods treefrogs (Hyla femoralis) and squirrel treefrogs (H. squirella) at each temperature, even when controlling for body size differences. In all three species, maximum jump distance was positively related to temperature, and this relationship was stronger for larger frogs. Parasites influenced both the maximum jump distance and endurance of frogs. In all three species, larger frogs jumped farther maximum distances than smaller frogs, but this relationship was stronger when frogs had lower, rather than higher, parasite loads. Parasitism had little effect on endurance in invasive frogs, but it tended to decrease the endurance of native frogs at high temperatures. Furthermore, at low temperatures, the lengths of consecutive jumps of infected native frogs tended to increase, suggesting that parasites limited the distances of initial jumps. Effects of temperature and parasites on the locomotor performance of frogs could influence their abilities to forage, escape predators, and disperse. The tremendous locomotor performance of O. septentrionalis, which is maintained across temperatures and parasite loads, likely contributes to the invasion success of this species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Conservation of Tree Frogs)
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15 pages, 2474 KiB  
Article
Density Dependence and Adult Survival Drive Dynamics in Two High Elevation Amphibian Populations
by Amanda M. Kissel, Simone Tenan and Erin Muths
Diversity 2020, 12(12), 478; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d12120478 - 15 Dec 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2543
Abstract
Amphibian conservation has progressed from the identification of declines to mitigation, but efforts are hampered by the lack of nuanced information about the effects of environmental characteristics and stressors on mechanistic processes of population regulation. Challenges include a paucity of long-term data and [...] Read more.
Amphibian conservation has progressed from the identification of declines to mitigation, but efforts are hampered by the lack of nuanced information about the effects of environmental characteristics and stressors on mechanistic processes of population regulation. Challenges include a paucity of long-term data and scant information about the relative roles of extrinsic (e.g., weather) and intrinsic (e.g., density dependence) factors. We used a Bayesian formulation of an open population capture-recapture model and >30 years of data to examine intrinsic and extrinsic factors regulating two adult boreal chorus frogs (Pseudacris maculata) populations. We modelled population growth rate and apparent survival directly, assessed their temporal variability, and derived estimates of recruitment. Populations were relatively stable (geometric mean population growth rate >1) and regulated by negative density dependence (i.e., higher population sizes reduced population growth rate). In the smaller population, density dependence also acted on adult survival. In the larger population, higher population growth was associated with warmer autumns. Survival estimates ranged from 0.30–0.87, per-capita recruitment was <1 in most years, and mean seniority probability was >0.50, suggesting adult survival is more important to population growth than recruitment. Our analysis indicates density dependence is a primary driver of population dynamics for P. maculata adults. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Conservation of Tree Frogs)
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17 pages, 2462 KiB  
Article
Recommendations for IUCN Red List Conservation Status of the “Dryophytes immaculatus Group” in North East Asia
by Amaël Borzée
Diversity 2020, 12(9), 336; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d12090336 - 01 Sep 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2906
Abstract
Threat assessment is important to prioritize species conservation projects and planning. The taxonomic resolution regarding the status of the “Dryophytes immaculatus group” and the description of a new species in the Republic of Korea resulted in a shift in ranges and population [...] Read more.
Threat assessment is important to prioritize species conservation projects and planning. The taxonomic resolution regarding the status of the “Dryophytes immaculatus group” and the description of a new species in the Republic of Korea resulted in a shift in ranges and population sizes. Thus, reviewing the IUCN Red List status of the three species from the group: D. immaculatus, D. suweonensis and D. flaviventris and recommending an update is needed. While the three species have similar ecological requirements and are distributed around the Yellow Sea, they are under contrasting anthropological pressure and threats. Here, based on the literature available, I have applied all IUCN Red List criterion and tested the fit of each species in each criteria to recommend listing under the appropriate threat level. This resulted in the recommendation of the following categories: Near Threatened for D. immaculatus, Endangered following the criteria C2a(i)b for D. suweonensis and Critically Endangered following the criteria E for D. flaviventris. All three species are declining, mostly because of landscape changes as a result of human activities, but the differences in range, population dynamics and already extirpated subpopulations result in different threat levels for each species. Dryophytes flaviventris is under the highest threat category mostly because of its limited range segregated into two subpopulations; and several known extirpated subpopulations. Immediate actions for the conservation of this species are required. Dryophytes suweonensis is present in both the Republic of Korea and the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) and is under lower ecological pressure in DPR Korea. Dryophytes immaculatus is present in the People’s Republic of China, over a very large range despite a marked decline. I recommend joint efforts for the conservation of these species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Conservation of Tree Frogs)
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Review

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13 pages, 1977 KiB  
Review
Does Chytridiomycosis Affect Tree Frog Attachment?
by Lisa Nieuwboer, Johan L. van Leeuwen, An Martel, Frank Pasmans, Annemarieke Spitzen-van der Sluijs and Julian K. A. Langowski
Diversity 2021, 13(6), 262; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d13060262 - 10 Jun 2021
Viewed by 3093
Abstract
The pandemic disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a major threat to amphibian biodiversity. For most species, the exact mechanisms of chytridiomycosis that lead to negative population dynamics remain uncertain, though mounting evidence suggests that sublethal effects [...] Read more.
The pandemic disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a major threat to amphibian biodiversity. For most species, the exact mechanisms of chytridiomycosis that lead to negative population dynamics remain uncertain, though mounting evidence suggests that sublethal effects could be an important driver. In this review, we propose that tree frog attachment is a promising case to study the sublethal effects of a Bd infection on amphibians. A synthesis of the current knowledge on the functional morphology of the adhesive toe pads of tree frogs, on the underlying mechanisms of tree frog attachment, and on the epidermal pathology of chytridiomycosis substantiates the hypothesis that Bd-induced epidermal alterations have the potential to disrupt tree frog attachment. We highlight a series of (biomechanical) experiments to test this hypothesis and to shed some light on the sublethal disease mechanisms of chytridiomycosis. The knowledge generated from such an approach could contribute to future research on Bd epidemiology and ultimately to the conservation of the biodiversity of arboreal anurans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Conservation of Tree Frogs)
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