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
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.
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