Assessing the status of amphibian breeding sites in Italy: a national survey

Salvidio, Sebastiano; Andreone, Franco; Angelini, Jacopo; Bassu, Lara; Bennati, Rolando; Bernini, Franco; Bettiol, K.; Biancardi,; Biggi, Emanuele; Bionda, Radames; Bocca, Massimo; Bonato, Lucio; Buzzetti, Filippo Maria; Carafa, Marco; Carletti, S.; Cassol, Mauricéia; Casu, V.; Cavalieri, Chiara; Cornetti, Luca; Corti, Claudia; Lago, A. Dal; D’Amico, Marcello; DeLisio, L.; Delmastro, Giovanni B.; Cerbo, Anna Rita Di; Francesco, N. Di; Tizio, Luciano Di; Donelli, O.; Doria, G.; Emiliani, D.; Bergò, Paolo Eusebio; Evangelista, Maria Teresa; Faraone, Francesco Paolo; Fattizzo, Tiziano; Ferri, Vincenzo; Ferro, Michael L.; Fiacchini, David; Ficetola, G.F.; Foglia, G.; Fulco, Egidio; Giacalone, Gabriele; Giberti, P.; Gola, Laura; Grieco, Cristina; Guarino, Fabio Maria; Iannelli, A.; Iantorno, A.; Incao,; Gonzales, Patrisia; Lamagni, Luca; Lillo, Francesco; Valvo, Mario Lo; Manca, Joseph; Marchesi, Manuela; Mazzotti, Stefano; Menegon, Michele; Mezzasalma, Marcello; Miserocchi, Danio; Montioni, Francesca; Mosini, Andrea; Nistri, Annamaria; Nitti, N.; Novaga, Riccardo; Odierna, Gaëtano; Oneto, Fabrizio; Ottonello, Dario; Parolin, E.; Pedrini, Paolo; Pellegrini, Marco Octávio de Oliveira; Rosa, Daniele Pellitteri; Penazzi, R.; Petruzzi, F.; Piazzini, Sandro; Picariello, Orfeo; Poggiani, L.; Polio, R.; Pupin, Fabio; Razzetti, Edoardo; Richard, Julien H.; Riservato, Elisa; Romanazzi, Enrico; Romano, Antonio; Rossini, Michele; Sacchi, Roberto; Sala, Luciano F. La; Sassi, A. Ben; Scali, Stefano; Scirocco, Tommaso; Seglie, Daniele; Semenzato, M.; Silvano, Fabrizio; Sindaco, Roberto; Sommacal, M.; Spada, Arianna; Sperone, Emilio; Spilinga, Cristiano; Svanella, A.; Tormen, F.; Tormen, Giuseppe; Tripepi, Sandro; Vaccaro, Angelo; Vanni, Stefano; Ventrella, P.; Nulchis, V.; Zampogno, E.; Zuffi, Marco Alberto Luca

doi:10.13128/acta_herpetol-9584

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Despite this widespread decline, monitoring schemes aimed at establishing demographic trends and conservation statuses are scattered and mostly limited to a few amphibian populations (e.g. Italica S. 2011). In particular, the conservation status of amphibians in the southernmost part of the Italian Peninsula is severely under-investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and conservation status of threatened endemic amphibians within the Aspromonte mountain region, a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity

Martino¹,

Chiocchio²,

Siclari³

et al. 2022

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Amphibian biodiversity loss in recent years has exceeded that of all other groups of vertebrates. In this context, biodiversity hotspots represent priority targets for conservation in amphibian populations. However, little information is available on the distribution and conservation status of amphibian species within most biodiversity hotspots. Here, we characterized the distribution and conservation status of four threatened endemic amphibians (Bombina pachypus, Salamandra salamandra gigliolii, Salamandrina terdigitata, and Rana italica) in the Aspromonte Mountain region, a biodiversity hotspot in southern Italy where the conservation status of amphibians is almost unexplored. We conducted an intensive field survey of 507 potential breeding sites spanning over 2,326 km2. We found that all four species were widespread in the study area. We observed 337 species occurrences: 63 for S. s. gigliolii, 29 for S. terdigitata, 84 for B. pachypus, and 161 for R. italica. Species distribution analysis revealed that S. s. gigliolii and R. italica populations had an extended and homogenous distribution. Conversely, S. terdigitata showed a dispersed pattern, with long distances among breeding sites, and B. pachypus an aggregated pattern, associated with the availability of suitable artificial habitats. On the other hand, we reported a decrease in B. pachypus occurrence in its natural habitats, which reflects a negative trend of its populations. Overall, our results provide an encouraging framework for the conservation of amphibian populations in this area, but highlight the low coverage of threatened amphibian populations in protected areas, highlighting the need for a reassessment of conservation policies and spatial conservation planning for the Aspromonte region.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and conservation status of threatened endemic amphibians within the Aspromonte mountain region, a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity

Martino¹,

Chiocchio²,

Siclari³

et al. 2022

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Is the painted frog Discoglossus pictus a declining species in Italy? On the reliability of a distributional atlas approach

2013

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Abstract. The conservation status of amphibians is often assessed using public databases because of a lack of up-to-date field data. However, it is crucial that this kind of data is used carefully, evaluating the reliability and the consistency of the information. In Italy, the conservation status of the painted frog, Discoglossus pictus, was recently assessed using public databases, and the outcome highlighted a worrying situation for the species. We analyzed the reliability of these conclusions and reassessed the status of the painted frog, taking into account its insular distribution and new data of species occurrence. Our results contrast with the previous analysis and show how an incautious use of public databases can lead to inaccurate assessment of the amphibian conservation status.

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Distribution and conservation status of endangered amphibians within the Aspromonte mountain region, a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity

Martino¹,

Chiocchio²,

Siclari³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Amphibian biodiversity loss in recent years has exceeded that of all other groups of vertebrates. In this context, biodiversity hotspots represent priority targets for conservation in amphibian populations. However, little information is available on the distribution and conservation status of amphibian species within most biodiversity hotspots. Here, we characterized the distribution and conservation status of four endangered amphibians (Bombina pachypus, Salamandra salamandra gigliolii, Salamandrina terdigitata, and Rana italica) in the Aspromonte Mountain region, a biodiversity hotspot in southern Italy where the conservation status of amphibians is almost unexplored. We conducted an intensive field survey of 507 potential breeding sites spanning over 2.326 km2. We found that all four species were widespread in the study area. We observed 337 species occurrences: 63 for S. s. gigliolii, 29 for S. terdigitata, 84 for B. pachypus, and 161 for R. italica. Species distribution analysis revealed that S. s. gigliolii and R. italica populations had an extended and homogenous distribution. Conversely, S. terdigitata showed a dispersed pattern, with long distances between breeding sites, and B. pachypus an aggregated pattern, associated with the availability of suitable artificial habitats. On the other hand, we reported a decrease in B. pachypus occupancy in its natural habitats, which was related to a negative trend of populations. Overall, our results provide an encouraging framework for the conservation of amphibian populations in this area, but highlight the low coverage of endangered amphibian populations in protected areas, claiming for a reassessment of conservation policies and spatial conservation planning for the Aspromonte region.

show abstract

Assessing the status of amphibian breeding sites in Italy: a national survey

Cited by 3 publications

References 10 publications

Distribution and conservation status of threatened endemic amphibians within the Aspromonte mountain region, a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity

Distribution and conservation status of threatened endemic amphibians within the Aspromonte mountain region, a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity

Is the painted frog Discoglossus pictus a declining species in Italy? On the reliability of a distributional atlas approach

Distribution and conservation status of endangered amphibians within the Aspromonte mountain region, a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity

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Assessing the status of amphibian breeding sites in Italy: a national survey

Cited by 3 publications

References 10 publications

﻿Distribution and conservation status of threatened endemic amphibians within the Aspromonte mountain region, a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity

﻿Distribution and conservation status of threatened endemic amphibians within the Aspromonte mountain region, a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity

Is the painted frog Discoglossus pictus a declining species in Italy? On the reliability of a distributional atlas approach

Distribution and conservation status of endangered amphibians within the Aspromonte mountain region, a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Distribution and conservation status of threatened endemic amphibians within the Aspromonte mountain region, a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity

Distribution and conservation status of threatened endemic amphibians within the Aspromonte mountain region, a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity