Ecosystem services provided by amphibians and reptiles in Neotropical ecosystems

Abstract

Human welfare depends directly or indirectly on the services provided by ecosystems. Amphibians and reptiles represent a high proportion of global species diversity and include species that are widely distributed throughout the world and play a variety of roles that benefit humans. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the ecosystem services provided by amphibians and reptiles in Neotropical ecosystems to evaluate the contribution of these highly diverse groups to human welfare. We conducted a literature review of articles and books from databases and university libraries and collected data from 106 studies. Amphibians and reptiles contributed directly and indirectly to the four types of ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting. Most available studies reported the use of direct services from reptiles and indirect services from amphibians. Although eight ecosystem services were identified, most studies focused on reptiles as seed dispersers and protein sources. Biological pest control and bioturbation were the most widely studied services obtained from amphibians. Further research are necessary to understand the ecological functions involving amphibians and reptiles and their importance in the provision of key ecosystem services for human well-being.

Conhecimento ecológico local sobre anfíbios anuros por agricultores em sistemas agrícolas de região semiárida brasileira

“…A sociedade moderna herdou esse preconceito dos europeus medievais, e, por isso, não é dada a devida atenção aos anfíbios, que, segundo Vitt e Caldwell (2009), por exemplo, constituem elementoschave para a avaliação da qualidade ambiental e biocontroladores de insetos vetores de doenças e/ou pragas agrícolas. Portanto, os anfíbios anuros, que compreendem os sapos e seus parentes, consistem em animais importantíssimos nas cadeias e teias ecológicas, especialmente por serem biocontroladores de populações de insetos e outros vertebrados, atuando como presas e predadores (STUART, 2008;VITT & CALDWELL, 2009;ABROL, 2012;VALENCIA-AGUILAR et al, 2013).…”

Ecosystem services assessments to improve management of marine habitats, amphibians and reptiles, forest biodiversity and silviculture, and medicinal plants

“…Carollo et al (2013) report on an expert workshop in which an attempt was made to link marine habitat type classifications with ecosystem services. Valencia-Aguilar et al (2013) present the first comprehensive overview of ecosystem services that can be directly or indirectly contributed to amphibians and reptiles.…”

“…Amphibians and reptiles represent a large proportion of the globe's species diversity. In their review paper, published in this Issue, Valencia-Aguilar et al (2013) provide what can be seen as the first comprehensive literature overview of the ecosystem services that can be directly or indirectly attributed to amphibians and reptiles in Neotropical ecosystems. It is not surprising that the authors of this review paper all work in Latin American countries, as 83% of all reviewed studies were conducted in South America (71% focused on reptiles, 12% on amphibians), followed by Central America with 13% (9% for reptiles, 4% for amphibians) and the Caribbean with 4% (1% reptiles, 3% amphibians).…”

“…A large proportion of the studied literature was also written in Spanish, which perhaps accounts for the reason why many scientists have not yet picked up on these findings. Valencia-Aguilar et al (2013) compiled an impressive amount of information from both scientific and grey literature -a combination of information sources that is generally required for research on such an understudied topic. Most studies reported on direct services being provided from reptiles, whereas indirect services tended to be generated by amphibians.…”

“…(Bräutigam & Eckert 2006), caimans and alligators for their hides (Da Silveira & Thorbjarnarson 1999) and declining populations of wild crocodile, iguana and many other reptiles as well as some amphibians. Practically no examples of sustainable low impact use of reptile and amphibian origin could be found (Valencia-Aguilar et al 2013). Apart from the numerous examples of over-exploitation, the authors also point out that many studies in fact focused on reptiles as seed dispersers.…”