Tropical land-use change is a key driver of global declines in biodiversity and a major source of anthropogenic carbon emissions, yet there is a substantial shortfall in the funding available to tackle these issues. We urgently need mechanisms that can simultaneously tackle both biodiversity and carbon losses, with carbon-based payments for ecosystem services (e.g. REDD+) of particular interest. A critical question is whether such payments offer strong carbon–biodiversity co-benefits via the regrowth of forests on abandoned farmlands (carbon enhancements) for amphibians, which are the most threatened vertebrate group and reach the greatest richness of threatened and small-ranged species in the montane tropics (>1000 m a.s.l.). Here, we study changes in amphibian communities across a typical Andean habitat transition from cattle pasture through secondary forests (8–35 years) to primary forest. As secondary forests mature, they recovered the abundance, species richness, species composition and Red-listed (near threatened and threatened) species typically found in primary forest. By contrast, cattle pasture contained much lower richness of Red-listed species and a different species composition compared to forest. We then reveal positive relationships between carbon stocks and amphibian species richness and abundance, Red-listed species richness and abundance and the similarity of communities to primary forests, confirming significant carbon–biodiversity co-benefits. Our results underscore the high conservation value of secondary forests and the strong potential for carbon and biodiversity recovery. Using carbon-based funding initiatives to support the regrowth of forests on marginal agricultural land is therefore likely to conserve threatened biodiversity in the Tropical Andes

No abstract

Acosta-Galvis Una nueva rana de huesos verdes del género Scinax (Anura: Hylidae) asociada a los bosques subandinos de la cuenca del río Magdalena, Colombia Una nueva rana de huesos verdes del género Scinax (Anura: Hylidae) asociada a los bosques subandinos de la cuenca del río Magdalena, Colombia A new frog with green bones of the genus Scinax (Anura: Hylidae), associated with the sub-Andean forests of the Magdalena River basin, Colombia Andrés R. Acosta-Galvis Resumen Como resultado de la exploración de áreas en postconflicto enmarcada en el proyecto Colombia BIO, se realizó la descripción de una nueva especie de Scinax con huesos verdes, asignable al clado de S. ruber. Esta nueva especie es endémica de los bosques subandinos periféricos del valle medio del río Magdalena en Colombia. Esta entidad biológica fue previamente identificada en la literatura científica como Scinax "A" y se caracteriza por su tamaño mediano (28,6-31,1 mm), su patrón cromático y su vocalización, similar al balido de una cabra, con una duración de 0,21-0,47 s, y frecuencia dominante entre 2184-3218 Hz. Sus características larvales en conjunto, permiten diferenciarla claramente de otras especies del género en la región transinterandina de Colombia. Con esta, ascienden a 18 las especies de Scinax documentadas en el territorio colombiano.

Using different sources of evidence (i.e., integrative taxonomy), we describe a new species of Hyloxalus, Hyloxalus arliensis sp. nov. The new species occurs in the middle Magdalena River valley on slopes between the Cordillera Central and Cordillera Oriental of the Andes of Colombia. Previously, the new species was referred to as Hyloxalus “Ibagué” but was not formally described. Phylogenetic re-analyses of 2440 base pairs (bp) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), revealed the species to be a sister taxon of H. lehmanni, within a monophyletic clade also comprising H. delatorreae lineage 1, H. pulchellus and H. vertebralis. The adult males of H. arliensis sp. nov. have a pale arm gland, which differentiates it from all other species of the genus, except for H. saltarius. The new species also differs from other species of Hyloxalus by its smaller size, disc on Finger III not expanded, toes unwebbed, dorsolateral stripe absent, oblique lateral stripe present, white spots on ventrolateral flanks in life and cloacal tubercles absent. The advertisement call consists of long trains of a single note repeated at a rate of 89–132 notes/min with a dominant frequency ranging from 4808–6387 Hz. The new species is a tiny frog that inhabits the sheltered areas around streams in sub-Andean forests. Aspects of its natural history are described.

AbstrAct

Batracofauna de los bosques de niebla y estribaciones del piedemonte en el municipio de Yopal (Casanare), Orinoquia colombianaFrogs and toads of cloud forests and foothills in the Yopal municipality (Casanare), Colombia Andrés R. Acosta-Galvis ResumenSe realiza una descripción regional de la batracofauna asociada a las áreas montañosas del municipio de Yopal en el departamento de Casanare, cuenca del Orinoco, Colombia. Se reseñan aspectos relativos a la distribución e historia natural de las especies registradas. El número de especies obtenidas en cada localidad es relativamente bajo entre 4-17; pero los valores consolidados en las áreas montañosas del Municipio, incluyen 26 especies distribuidas en ocho familias y 15 géneros. Estos valores permiten evaluar los umbrales de riqueza obtenidos en previos estudios de este grupo en las estribaciones andino-orinoquenses. Los ensamblajes encontrados son un mosaico de especies provenientes de las planicies llaneras que ha ocupado los ambientes intervenidos, junto con especies endémicas propias de los bosques húmedos del piedemonte del Orinoco colombiano.Palabras clave. Anuros. Estacionalidad. Localidad. Montañas. Riqueza. AbstractA regional inventory of the anuran fauna of the mountainous areas of the municipality of Yopal (CasanareColombia) is presented. Aspects of their regional distribution and natural history of the species are reported. Individually in each locality studied, inventories showed that the number of species is relatively low, between 4-17, but the accumulative values for the piedmont region of the Orinoco totals 26 species in eight families and 15 genera. These values permit the evaluation of species richness thresholds obtained in previous studies of this group in the Andean foothills of the Orinoco River Basin. Assemblages found, are a mosaic of species from the eastern savannas that have occupied intervened environments in mountainous areas, together with a set of endemic species of the humid forests of the piedmont of the Colombian Orinoco.

Se describe una nueva especie de rana nodriza proveniente de las estribaciones andinas en el departamento de Boyacá y asociada a la cuenca del río Orinoco en Colombia. Esta especie posee una similitud morfológica con Hyloxalus picachos que habita en las estribaciones andinas en el departamento de Caquetá, pero difiere de esta porque la banda lateral oblicua se extiende hasta el rostro y por su patrón cromático del iris en vida. Se describe el cambio ontogénico de sus estados larvales junto con sus vocalizaciones que están compuestas por notas simples, con una tasa de vocalización de 124 notas por minuto y con estructura espectral que consiste en 5 armónicos con una frecuencia dominante entre 4213,3-5828,2 Hz. Con la descripción de esta nueva especie se reconocen 23 especies para este género en Colombia.

<p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Objective: </strong><strong>Most </strong>research related to the decline of amphibians has been focused on the detection of the pathogenic fungus <em>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</em>. This fungus is the main pathogen detected around the world. However, research has shown the presence of another fungus, <em>Saprolegnia ferax</em>, as a cause of mortality in amphibians in North America. Our study suggests a possible interspecific transmission caused by the presence of rainbow trout; thus, amphibian declines may not be attributable only to the presence of a single pathogen, but to other organisms and factors. <strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Our study revealed the presence of <em>Saprolegnia</em> sp. in the Andean frog <em>Atelopus mittermeieri</em> using the imprinting technique with lactophenol blue staining, which allowed the typical structures of this fungus to be observed. <strong>Results:</strong> The importance of this discovery is the presence of two pathogenic fungi, <em>B. dendrobatidis </em>and <em>Saprolegnia</em>, which affecting simultaneously a population of amphibians. This finding brings attention to the eventual presence of other microorganisms that might be involved individually or collectively in the decline of amphibian species. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> This record suggests a possible transmission between rainbow trout (<em>Oncorhynchus mykiss</em>), an introduced species in the highlands of Colombia, which shares the same habitats with different species of amphibians in the Sanctuary of Flora and Fauna Guanentá in the upper river Fonce in the mid Cordillera Oriental of Colombia.</p> <p><strong>Key words: </strong>decline, Amphibians,<em> Saprolegnia</em>, Fishes, <em>Atelopus</em>, Colombia.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong> </strong></p><br />