A global meta-analysis on patterns of amphibian and reptile diversity in agroforestry systems

Global herpetofauna faces threats by habitat loss and degradation, with amphibian and reptile species maintenance in human-modified landscapes not only depending on forest remnants, but also on biodiversity-friendly matrices, such as agroforestry systems. Nevertheless, herpetological studies in agro...

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Main Authors: Martín de Jesús Cervantes-López, José Carlos Morante-Filho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-06-01
Series:Global Ecology and Conservation
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424001185
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author Martín de Jesús Cervantes-López
José Carlos Morante-Filho
author_facet Martín de Jesús Cervantes-López
José Carlos Morante-Filho
author_sort Martín de Jesús Cervantes-López
collection DOAJ
description Global herpetofauna faces threats by habitat loss and degradation, with amphibian and reptile species maintenance in human-modified landscapes not only depending on forest remnants, but also on biodiversity-friendly matrices, such as agroforestry systems. Nevertheless, herpetological studies in agroforests are limited, hindering conservation decisions. To fill this gap, we conducted a global meta-analysis to assess the ability of agroforestry systems to maintain abundance and richness of amphibian and reptile species when compared to native forests. We analyze how community parameters (richness or abundance) and agroforest types based on the vegetation characteristics described by the studies (simplified or complex) impact the variation of overall effect size. We also used meta-regression models to examine how the amount of forest cover around agroforests affects the effect size. Finally, we calculated Sorensen's Index based on incidence data to investigate the degree of similarity in species composition of amphibians and reptiles between agroforestry systems and native forests. Our results showed that amphibian diversity in agroforests is lower than in native forests, regardless of the parameter and agroforestry type. For reptiles, agroforests showed higher abundance and similar species richness to forests. Simplified agroforestry systems support less reptile diversity than complex systems, which are more similar to forests. Interestingly, landscape forest amount modulates the ability of agroforests in maintain reptile richness. In fact, agroforests inserted in highly forested landscapes can harbor higher richness of reptiles than forests. We also found that half of the amphibian and reptile species observed in agroforests are different from those observed in native forests. Our findings highlights that agroforests cannot replace native forests because such systems harbor reduced abundance and species richness, especially amphibians, and a distinct species composition. However, when inserted in forested landscapes these agricultural systems can host rich reptile communities. Thus, preserving native forests and restoring deforested regions are crucial for herpetofauna conservation in human-modified landscapes.
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spelling doaj.art-5261a82caee246008eda947734f6bf852024-03-28T06:38:06ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942024-06-0151e02914A global meta-analysis on patterns of amphibian and reptile diversity in agroforestry systemsMartín de Jesús Cervantes-López0José Carlos Morante-Filho1Corresponding authors.; Applied Conservation Ecology Lab, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus- Itabuna, km 16, Salobrinho, Ilhéus, Bahia 45662-000, BrazilCorresponding authors.; Applied Conservation Ecology Lab, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus- Itabuna, km 16, Salobrinho, Ilhéus, Bahia 45662-000, BrazilGlobal herpetofauna faces threats by habitat loss and degradation, with amphibian and reptile species maintenance in human-modified landscapes not only depending on forest remnants, but also on biodiversity-friendly matrices, such as agroforestry systems. Nevertheless, herpetological studies in agroforests are limited, hindering conservation decisions. To fill this gap, we conducted a global meta-analysis to assess the ability of agroforestry systems to maintain abundance and richness of amphibian and reptile species when compared to native forests. We analyze how community parameters (richness or abundance) and agroforest types based on the vegetation characteristics described by the studies (simplified or complex) impact the variation of overall effect size. We also used meta-regression models to examine how the amount of forest cover around agroforests affects the effect size. Finally, we calculated Sorensen's Index based on incidence data to investigate the degree of similarity in species composition of amphibians and reptiles between agroforestry systems and native forests. Our results showed that amphibian diversity in agroforests is lower than in native forests, regardless of the parameter and agroforestry type. For reptiles, agroforests showed higher abundance and similar species richness to forests. Simplified agroforestry systems support less reptile diversity than complex systems, which are more similar to forests. Interestingly, landscape forest amount modulates the ability of agroforests in maintain reptile richness. In fact, agroforests inserted in highly forested landscapes can harbor higher richness of reptiles than forests. We also found that half of the amphibian and reptile species observed in agroforests are different from those observed in native forests. Our findings highlights that agroforests cannot replace native forests because such systems harbor reduced abundance and species richness, especially amphibians, and a distinct species composition. However, when inserted in forested landscapes these agricultural systems can host rich reptile communities. Thus, preserving native forests and restoring deforested regions are crucial for herpetofauna conservation in human-modified landscapes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424001185AbundanceAgricultural systemsHabitat lossHerpetofaunaSpecies richnessWildlife-friendly agriculture
spellingShingle Martín de Jesús Cervantes-López
José Carlos Morante-Filho
A global meta-analysis on patterns of amphibian and reptile diversity in agroforestry systems
Global Ecology and Conservation
Abundance
Agricultural systems
Habitat loss
Herpetofauna
Species richness
Wildlife-friendly agriculture
title A global meta-analysis on patterns of amphibian and reptile diversity in agroforestry systems
title_full A global meta-analysis on patterns of amphibian and reptile diversity in agroforestry systems
title_fullStr A global meta-analysis on patterns of amphibian and reptile diversity in agroforestry systems
title_full_unstemmed A global meta-analysis on patterns of amphibian and reptile diversity in agroforestry systems
title_short A global meta-analysis on patterns of amphibian and reptile diversity in agroforestry systems
title_sort global meta analysis on patterns of amphibian and reptile diversity in agroforestry systems
topic Abundance
Agricultural systems
Habitat loss
Herpetofauna
Species richness
Wildlife-friendly agriculture
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424001185
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