Camila F Moser | Universidade Federal do Pará (original) (raw)
Papers by Camila F Moser
Herpetology Notes, 2024
The change of natural environments into agricultural areas is generally accompanied by the contro... more The change of natural environments into agricultural areas is generally accompanied by the control of invertebrate populations, which can alter prey availability for amphibians. The way frogs deal with such changes will determine their survival or extinction from these agricultural landscapes. We compared changes in the diet of the semiaquatic frog Pseudis minuta between populations from natural and agricultural environments in the Pampa biome, southern Brazil. We evaluated 34 individuals from agricultural environments and 42 from natural environments, located 1 km from each other, and we also analysed prey availability. In agricultural environments, the diet was composed mostly of beetles, one of the less frequently consumed prey groups in natural environments. This suggests that individuals of P. minuta are forced into a narrower trophic niche in agricultural areas, with the availability of food types likely a consequence of the anthropic changes.
Biodiversidade do Campus da Unisinos, 2018
Em geral, anfíbios e répteis sãoorganismos pouco carismáticos e atraem pouco interesse napopulaçã... more Em geral, anfíbios e répteis sãoorganismos pouco carismáticos e atraem pouco interesse napopulação quanto à necessidade de sua preservação. Apopularização do conhecimento cientifico sobre esses organismos éum passo importante para sua conservação. O objetivo destecapítulo é de listar as espécies da herpetofauna registradas nocampus São Leopoldo da UNISINOS.
Biodiversidade do Campus da Unisinos, 2018
Florestas urbanas prestam importantes benefícios às populações humanas em cidades, como purificaç... more Florestas urbanas prestam importantes benefícios às populações humanas em cidades, como purificação do ar, redução de ruídos, atenuação climática, estabilização de solos, infiltração e purificação da água, habitat para fauna, além de favorecer aspectos psicológicos, estéticos e espirituais (Silvestre & Ribeiro, 2003; Kowarik, 2011;. Notoriamente, a capacidade desses ecossistemas em prover tais serviços depende da abundância e distribuição das manchas florestais na paisagem urbana, e de como 1 Estudante de Ciências Biológicas, monitor(a) da atividade acadêmica de Ecologia de Comunidades, UNISINOS
Austral Ecology, 2021
Species richness and abundance, as well as trophic relationships, are affected by habitat configu... more Species richness and abundance, as well as trophic relationships, are affected by habitat configuration. Smaller habitat patches suffer greater external interference, being more susceptible to diversity loss and could also receive more trophic subsidies from outside or matrix, which can favour the maintenance of populations even in small patches. Natural mosaics of forest patches in a grassland matrix in southern Brazil are good places to analyse such a process. Our objective was to analyse the effect of habitat patching on trophic relationships based on the evaluation of two forest amphibian species (Physalaemus lisei and P. carrizorum) and compare those from habitat patches versus core/contiguous habitat. We compared isotopic carbon (d13C) and nitrogen ratios (d15N) in two anuran species as well the variation in their diet at different forest patch sizes. We chose carbon isotopes since they act as a proxy for inferences on the original habitat from which the matter flows towards the anurans, while nitrogen reveals their tropic level. Our results revealed that trophic sources for these amphibians derives predominantly from primary forest productivity. However, Physalaemus lisei d13C values indicated that the contribution of grassland trophic sources in the diet was higher in frogs from forests patches (<100 ha) than in those from core forest habitat. In smaller patches, P. lisei consumed predominantly ants, which was the most abundant prey on habitat. On the other hand, in the core forest, where isopods were the most abundant prey, most of its consumption was beetles, spiders and ants. In contrast, P. carrizorum showed no significant changes in isotopic ratios or diet across habitats. Isotopic data suggested that both species occupied lower trophic levels in smaller forests than in core forests. Our data showed a tendency towards the increase of grassland contribution and decrease of amphibian trophic position in patched habitats in comparison to continuous habitat.
Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 2023
The Taim Ecological Station (ESEC Taim) encompasses Brazilian wetlands and has been recognized si... more The Taim Ecological Station (ESEC Taim) encompasses Brazilian wetlands and has been recognized since 2006 for its unique, worldwide importance by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands. Despite the importance of this region, however, its herpetofauna is relatively unknown with no updates since a preliminary species list was compiled in the 1980s. Here, we present an updated list of the amphibian and reptile species in ESEC Taim, critically review the previously available list, and suggest two possible local extinction events since the 1980s. We based the update on field sampling carried out between 2009 and 2018 complemented with the compilation of specimens from scientific collections obtained over decades of sampling. We recorded 47 species, including 18 amphibians and 29 reptiles. Among the amphibians, 17 species are anurans and one is a caecilian. The reptiles include two amphisbaenians, 18 snakes, four lizards, four tortoises, and one caiman. The families Hylidae and Leptodactylidae were the most well represented amphibians (75% of the total number of species), whereas over half (53%) of the reptile species were in the family Dipsadidae. This list includes eight new snake species for ESEC Taim, as well as taxonomic updates and corrections regarding the identification of some species included on previous lists. We also propose the exclusion of two amphibian species previously included in the list from the 1980s. This work is of particular conservation importance both because of the uniqueness of this wetland area and because it is an example of a conservation area lacking a surrounding buffer zones.
Acta Herpetologica, 2023
Despite the current increase in studies on the diet of neotropical anurans, few of them take a co... more Despite the current increase in studies on the diet of neotropical anurans, few of them take a comparative approach between syntopic species. The objective of this study was to compare the diet of four syntopic species of the genus Physalaemus. The collections occurred between November 2014 and January 2016 in a preserved area of the subtropical Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil. We compared the gastrointestinal content of 109 individuals distributed in the species Physalaemus biligonigerus, P. cuvieri, P. gracilis and P. henselii. We measured the Index of Relative Importance of each prey category and calculated trophic niche breadth using the Levins’ index (Bsta) and trophic niche overlap using the Pianka’s index (Ojk). We also applied compositional analysis to evaluate feeding specializations. Formicidae was the most important prey category for P. biligonigerus (IRI = 88.5%) and P. gracilis (IRI = 39.1%). For P. henselii and P. cuvieri, the most important category was Isopoda (IRI = 51.7% and 57.9%, respectively), followed by Formicidae (IRI = 34.9% and 24.8%). Isopoda was also important in the diet of P. gracilis (IIR = 28.6%), followed by Araneae (IIR = 22.6%). The trophic niche breadth of the four species was narrow, all smaller than 0.32, and the lowest was recorded for P. biligonigerus (0.04). The trophic niche overlap was higher between P. biligonigerus and P. cuvieri (96%), and between P. gracilis and P. henselii (95%). Only P. gracilis presented a significant level of feeding specialization. The differences in their diets suggest different uses of the resources, which could relate to different ways of exploring the microhabitat.
Wetlands, 2024
In this study, we evaluated the effect of changes in natural wetlands on the amphibian diversity ... more In this study, we evaluated the effect of changes in natural wetlands on the amphibian diversity at differing spatial and temporal scales. We sampled 10 wetland sites along floodplains in southern Brazil. We classified the sites as reference or altered ponds according to the preservation degree and presence of human impact. The amphibian monitoring was conducted through calling surveys performed between 2015/2016 using an automated recording system that identified the calling male species. We identified 23 species, mainly distributed in the families Hylidae (43%) and Leptodactylidae (34.8%). The altered ponds had lower diversity and higher species dominance. Even ponds with the greatest landscape change revealed a high degree of resilience concerning the amphibian species composition. However, only Boana pulchella was dominant in altered ponds and B. pulchella and Pseudopaludicola falcipes were dominant in reference ponds. A reduction of amphibian richness was driven by the expansion of the urban area and loss of flooding areas. From 1999 to 2016 all sampled sites had their wetland area reduced as the surrounding urban area increased, contributing to the combined loss of habitat and reproductive sites of anurans in subtropical wetlands.
Herpetological Journal, 2024
Morphology and diet are key factors in the ecology of organisms, determining aspects of the natur... more Morphology and diet are key factors in the ecology of organisms, determining aspects of the natural history and evolution of the species. In this work, we evaluated the diet-morphology relationship in an anuran population, measuring the influence of morphological traits on the variation in the diet of individuals of Leptodactylus luctator. For this purpose, we collected individuals from a natural grassland habitat in southern Brazil. We analysed the stomach content of individuals and classified the consumed food items up to the classification level of order. We also measured four morphological traits per individual of L. luctator: distance between eyes, relative limb length, relative mouth width (gape) and snout-vent length. We applied Linear Mixed Effect Models to evaluate the relationship of anuran morphological traits, number of prey taxa and volume of consumed prey. We tested the hypothesis that the configuration of predator morphological traits determines variations in prey consumption patterns. Our results indicate that the body size of L. luctator was not directly related to the diet composition but the individuals’ gape is directly and positively related to the number of consumed taxa. This suggests that gape limitation could be a limiting factor in prey selection. The capacity to consume a wide variety of prey taxa could be an advantage in unpredictable environments, especially those with great daily thermal amplitudes such as the subtropical Brazilian grasslands.
Caldasia, 2024
Release calls are a non-receptive response to amplexus between different species or conspecific a... more Release calls are a non-receptive response to amplexus between different species or conspecific amplexus between males. This call differs between closely related species and can be an important tool for the taxonomy of this group. Here, we describe, for the first time, the release call of Dendropsophus sanborni (Schmidt, 1944) from a record during a field trip in a palm grove in southern Brazil. We recorded two release calls from a male individual of D. sanborni while handling it. These release calls are simply formed by one note with no modulation. Release calls of Dendropsophus are poorly reported in the literature, and comparisons among them are limited. Release calls are possibly much more common than reported in the literature and more description studies are needed.
Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 2024
This study explores how artificial ponds can serve as reproductive sites for anurans in disturbed... more This study explores how artificial ponds can serve as reproductive sites for anurans in disturbed habitats, depending on the surrounding environment. The findings show that the habitat configuration and water quality play key roles in anuran beta diversity, with habitat being the main factor affecting community differences. Anthropogenic factors, such as soil exposure and urbanization, significantly impact species composition. Despite being artificial, these ponds can support anuran communities, but their effectiveness depends on nearby forest remnants and water quality.
Biotropica, 2025
Anthropogenic fire is a worldwide event that affects many ecosystems and organisms. In Southern B... more Anthropogenic fire is a worldwide event that affects many ecosystems and organisms. In Southern Brazil, grassland management with fire has been highly employed since the mid-18th century. Although the practice is regulated by federal law (prescribed fire), there is no detailed information about the impacts of this practice on the small, nonvolant fauna. We evaluated the effect of fire management on anuran species richness and community composition in Brazilian grassland areas that have adopted this practice for more than 15 years. Our results show that burning practices lead to a reduction of anuran richness. About 37% of the species occur exclusively in sites free of fire. Sites with fire management have low densities of taller grass and shrubs, which could reduce habitat availability for some anuran species. Nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity did not differ within and between treatments, but there was a tendency for a nestedness organization of the community in burned sites, suggesting that sites with fire management are a subsample of sites where fire is absent. Our results pointed out that prescribed fire practices have potentially negative effects on the anuran diversity. These results suggest that the changes in vegetation, in particular percentages of shrub cover, affect habitat suitability for some species. Therefore, anuran communities tend to become less diverse and lack arboreal species where fire occurs
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 2022
Our objective was to describe and compare the diet of endemic anurans of the Atlantic Forest, as ... more Our objective was to describe and compare the diet of endemic anurans of the Atlantic Forest, as well as to evaluate the influence of biotic factors on the trophic ecology of the species. We conducted the study in Mananciais da Serra (Piraquara-PR), a transition region between mixed and dense ombrophilous forest, between January 2019 and February 2020. In this work, we describe the diet of eight species: Aplastodiscus albosignatus, Boana semiguttata, Bokermannohyla circumdata, Ischnocnema henselii, Leptodactylus notoaktites, Proceratophrys boiei, Rhinella abei and Scythrophrys sawayae. Coleoptera were important prey in the diet of most species, except for B. circumdata and L. notoaktites. All species showed potential selection for some category of prey. We observed a correlation between the size of the individuals and the volume of consumed prey in I. henselii. In general, the niche overlap between species was low, and most species had a broad trophic niche.
Herpetologia Brasileira, Jan 31, 2022
Iheringia. Série Zoologia, 2022
In this study, we observed that burrows of Rhinella dorbignyi (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) are distri... more In this study, we observed that burrows of Rhinella dorbignyi (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) are distributed in a non-random manner in the habitat, suggesting a microhabitat selection for digging. This conclusion was based on a characterization of 36 burrows and surrounding micro-habitat. We established a 1 m x 1 m quadrat with the burrow in its central point (n=36) to measure the percentage (density) and the average heights of grasses, herbs, and shrubs. All measurements were repeated in two unused quadrats (without burrows) to evaluate the available microhabitat (n=72). The burrows are built in specific areas of the habitat with a higher percentage of grass, taller herbs, lower density of shrubs and low shaded sites than the founded at control sites. Based on three-dimensional models of the interior of the burrow (n=15), we observed that all of them were constructed with an elliptical opening that opens into a narrow channel perpendicular to the ground. Channels had a mean maximum diame...
Zoologia (Curitiba), 2022
The importance of amphibian bioacoustics is widely documented in ecological, taxonomical and evol... more The importance of amphibian bioacoustics is widely documented in ecological, taxonomical and evolutionary studies, as calls might act as a primary mechanism of reproductive isolation. The influence of air temperature and male size on the variation of the advertisement calls in anurans is widely recognized but still insufficiently analyzed in Brazilian species. Our goals were to (1) describe the advertisement call of Aplastodiscus albosignatus (Lutz & Lutz, 1938), (2) test the influence of temperature and body size on its acoustic signals and (3) evaluate the variation of within and between-male acoustic signals. Advertisement calls of A. albosignatus consist of an unpulsed note with four harmonics. In most cases, the dominant frequency is the third harmonic but, in some calls, it was the minimum frequency (first harmonic). The average duration of calls was 0.191 s, the interval between calls was 2.08 s and the repetition rate was 33 calls per minute. On average, the minimum frequency was 550.15 Hz, the maximum frequency was 3531.70 Hz and the third harmonic was 2498.9 Hz. To evaluate the effect of air temperature, and body size on the variation of call parameters, we performed generalized linear models. The most explanatory model for spectral parameters was temperature plus body size. Concerning temporal variables, the best model that explains the variation in call duration was body size, while for the interval between calls was air temperature. The maximum frequency and the frequency of the third harmonic had little variation in the calls of both the same male and different males. Thus, these parameters were considered important in species recognition.
Neotropical Biology and Conservation
Diet studies allow us to understand important questions about a species behavior in relation to r... more Diet studies allow us to understand important questions about a species behavior in relation to resource use. Aplastodiscus perviridis Lutz 1950 is an arboreal anuran that occurs in southern and southeastern Brazil and western Argentina. In this study, we described and analyzed the diet composition of a population of A. perviridis in southern Brazil. We evaluated the diet by examining the gastrointestinal contents of 42 specimens, 12% of which had no gastrointestinal content, while 12 prey categories were registered. Acarina, Araneae, Coleoptera-adults and Lepidoptera-larvae were the prey categories with the largest relative importance values. The trophic niche breadth was lower than those recorded for other hylids, suggesting a more specialized character.
Reptile diversity of Sinos River Basin, 2018
This work aimed to catalog the species of reptiles of the Sinos River Basin based on records from... more This work aimed to catalog the species of reptiles of the Sinos River Basin based on records from scientific collections and data collected in the field. We recorded 65 species, including 46 snakes, nine lizards, five turtles, four amphisbaenians and one caiman. Snakes composed most of the recorded specimens (91.3%), and the three most representative are venomous and of medical importance. The most urban region of the basin (Lowland) has the highest number of records. This fact may be a reflection of the high human population density in this region, which would have favored the encounter of specimens and their sending to scientific collections and research centers. It is worth highlighting that most species with few specimens in the collections are also rarely observed in the wild, such as Clelia hussani and Urostrophus vautieri. This observation makes it feasible that these populations are small or that they are declining.
Herpetology Notes, 2024
The change of natural environments into agricultural areas is generally accompanied by the contro... more The change of natural environments into agricultural areas is generally accompanied by the control of invertebrate populations, which can alter prey availability for amphibians. The way frogs deal with such changes will determine their survival or extinction from these agricultural landscapes. We compared changes in the diet of the semiaquatic frog Pseudis minuta between populations from natural and agricultural environments in the Pampa biome, southern Brazil. We evaluated 34 individuals from agricultural environments and 42 from natural environments, located 1 km from each other, and we also analysed prey availability. In agricultural environments, the diet was composed mostly of beetles, one of the less frequently consumed prey groups in natural environments. This suggests that individuals of P. minuta are forced into a narrower trophic niche in agricultural areas, with the availability of food types likely a consequence of the anthropic changes.
Biodiversidade do Campus da Unisinos, 2018
Em geral, anfíbios e répteis sãoorganismos pouco carismáticos e atraem pouco interesse napopulaçã... more Em geral, anfíbios e répteis sãoorganismos pouco carismáticos e atraem pouco interesse napopulação quanto à necessidade de sua preservação. Apopularização do conhecimento cientifico sobre esses organismos éum passo importante para sua conservação. O objetivo destecapítulo é de listar as espécies da herpetofauna registradas nocampus São Leopoldo da UNISINOS.
Biodiversidade do Campus da Unisinos, 2018
Florestas urbanas prestam importantes benefícios às populações humanas em cidades, como purificaç... more Florestas urbanas prestam importantes benefícios às populações humanas em cidades, como purificação do ar, redução de ruídos, atenuação climática, estabilização de solos, infiltração e purificação da água, habitat para fauna, além de favorecer aspectos psicológicos, estéticos e espirituais (Silvestre & Ribeiro, 2003; Kowarik, 2011;. Notoriamente, a capacidade desses ecossistemas em prover tais serviços depende da abundância e distribuição das manchas florestais na paisagem urbana, e de como 1 Estudante de Ciências Biológicas, monitor(a) da atividade acadêmica de Ecologia de Comunidades, UNISINOS
Austral Ecology, 2021
Species richness and abundance, as well as trophic relationships, are affected by habitat configu... more Species richness and abundance, as well as trophic relationships, are affected by habitat configuration. Smaller habitat patches suffer greater external interference, being more susceptible to diversity loss and could also receive more trophic subsidies from outside or matrix, which can favour the maintenance of populations even in small patches. Natural mosaics of forest patches in a grassland matrix in southern Brazil are good places to analyse such a process. Our objective was to analyse the effect of habitat patching on trophic relationships based on the evaluation of two forest amphibian species (Physalaemus lisei and P. carrizorum) and compare those from habitat patches versus core/contiguous habitat. We compared isotopic carbon (d13C) and nitrogen ratios (d15N) in two anuran species as well the variation in their diet at different forest patch sizes. We chose carbon isotopes since they act as a proxy for inferences on the original habitat from which the matter flows towards the anurans, while nitrogen reveals their tropic level. Our results revealed that trophic sources for these amphibians derives predominantly from primary forest productivity. However, Physalaemus lisei d13C values indicated that the contribution of grassland trophic sources in the diet was higher in frogs from forests patches (<100 ha) than in those from core forest habitat. In smaller patches, P. lisei consumed predominantly ants, which was the most abundant prey on habitat. On the other hand, in the core forest, where isopods were the most abundant prey, most of its consumption was beetles, spiders and ants. In contrast, P. carrizorum showed no significant changes in isotopic ratios or diet across habitats. Isotopic data suggested that both species occupied lower trophic levels in smaller forests than in core forests. Our data showed a tendency towards the increase of grassland contribution and decrease of amphibian trophic position in patched habitats in comparison to continuous habitat.
Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 2023
The Taim Ecological Station (ESEC Taim) encompasses Brazilian wetlands and has been recognized si... more The Taim Ecological Station (ESEC Taim) encompasses Brazilian wetlands and has been recognized since 2006 for its unique, worldwide importance by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands. Despite the importance of this region, however, its herpetofauna is relatively unknown with no updates since a preliminary species list was compiled in the 1980s. Here, we present an updated list of the amphibian and reptile species in ESEC Taim, critically review the previously available list, and suggest two possible local extinction events since the 1980s. We based the update on field sampling carried out between 2009 and 2018 complemented with the compilation of specimens from scientific collections obtained over decades of sampling. We recorded 47 species, including 18 amphibians and 29 reptiles. Among the amphibians, 17 species are anurans and one is a caecilian. The reptiles include two amphisbaenians, 18 snakes, four lizards, four tortoises, and one caiman. The families Hylidae and Leptodactylidae were the most well represented amphibians (75% of the total number of species), whereas over half (53%) of the reptile species were in the family Dipsadidae. This list includes eight new snake species for ESEC Taim, as well as taxonomic updates and corrections regarding the identification of some species included on previous lists. We also propose the exclusion of two amphibian species previously included in the list from the 1980s. This work is of particular conservation importance both because of the uniqueness of this wetland area and because it is an example of a conservation area lacking a surrounding buffer zones.
Acta Herpetologica, 2023
Despite the current increase in studies on the diet of neotropical anurans, few of them take a co... more Despite the current increase in studies on the diet of neotropical anurans, few of them take a comparative approach between syntopic species. The objective of this study was to compare the diet of four syntopic species of the genus Physalaemus. The collections occurred between November 2014 and January 2016 in a preserved area of the subtropical Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil. We compared the gastrointestinal content of 109 individuals distributed in the species Physalaemus biligonigerus, P. cuvieri, P. gracilis and P. henselii. We measured the Index of Relative Importance of each prey category and calculated trophic niche breadth using the Levins’ index (Bsta) and trophic niche overlap using the Pianka’s index (Ojk). We also applied compositional analysis to evaluate feeding specializations. Formicidae was the most important prey category for P. biligonigerus (IRI = 88.5%) and P. gracilis (IRI = 39.1%). For P. henselii and P. cuvieri, the most important category was Isopoda (IRI = 51.7% and 57.9%, respectively), followed by Formicidae (IRI = 34.9% and 24.8%). Isopoda was also important in the diet of P. gracilis (IIR = 28.6%), followed by Araneae (IIR = 22.6%). The trophic niche breadth of the four species was narrow, all smaller than 0.32, and the lowest was recorded for P. biligonigerus (0.04). The trophic niche overlap was higher between P. biligonigerus and P. cuvieri (96%), and between P. gracilis and P. henselii (95%). Only P. gracilis presented a significant level of feeding specialization. The differences in their diets suggest different uses of the resources, which could relate to different ways of exploring the microhabitat.
Wetlands, 2024
In this study, we evaluated the effect of changes in natural wetlands on the amphibian diversity ... more In this study, we evaluated the effect of changes in natural wetlands on the amphibian diversity at differing spatial and temporal scales. We sampled 10 wetland sites along floodplains in southern Brazil. We classified the sites as reference or altered ponds according to the preservation degree and presence of human impact. The amphibian monitoring was conducted through calling surveys performed between 2015/2016 using an automated recording system that identified the calling male species. We identified 23 species, mainly distributed in the families Hylidae (43%) and Leptodactylidae (34.8%). The altered ponds had lower diversity and higher species dominance. Even ponds with the greatest landscape change revealed a high degree of resilience concerning the amphibian species composition. However, only Boana pulchella was dominant in altered ponds and B. pulchella and Pseudopaludicola falcipes were dominant in reference ponds. A reduction of amphibian richness was driven by the expansion of the urban area and loss of flooding areas. From 1999 to 2016 all sampled sites had their wetland area reduced as the surrounding urban area increased, contributing to the combined loss of habitat and reproductive sites of anurans in subtropical wetlands.
Herpetological Journal, 2024
Morphology and diet are key factors in the ecology of organisms, determining aspects of the natur... more Morphology and diet are key factors in the ecology of organisms, determining aspects of the natural history and evolution of the species. In this work, we evaluated the diet-morphology relationship in an anuran population, measuring the influence of morphological traits on the variation in the diet of individuals of Leptodactylus luctator. For this purpose, we collected individuals from a natural grassland habitat in southern Brazil. We analysed the stomach content of individuals and classified the consumed food items up to the classification level of order. We also measured four morphological traits per individual of L. luctator: distance between eyes, relative limb length, relative mouth width (gape) and snout-vent length. We applied Linear Mixed Effect Models to evaluate the relationship of anuran morphological traits, number of prey taxa and volume of consumed prey. We tested the hypothesis that the configuration of predator morphological traits determines variations in prey consumption patterns. Our results indicate that the body size of L. luctator was not directly related to the diet composition but the individuals’ gape is directly and positively related to the number of consumed taxa. This suggests that gape limitation could be a limiting factor in prey selection. The capacity to consume a wide variety of prey taxa could be an advantage in unpredictable environments, especially those with great daily thermal amplitudes such as the subtropical Brazilian grasslands.
Caldasia, 2024
Release calls are a non-receptive response to amplexus between different species or conspecific a... more Release calls are a non-receptive response to amplexus between different species or conspecific amplexus between males. This call differs between closely related species and can be an important tool for the taxonomy of this group. Here, we describe, for the first time, the release call of Dendropsophus sanborni (Schmidt, 1944) from a record during a field trip in a palm grove in southern Brazil. We recorded two release calls from a male individual of D. sanborni while handling it. These release calls are simply formed by one note with no modulation. Release calls of Dendropsophus are poorly reported in the literature, and comparisons among them are limited. Release calls are possibly much more common than reported in the literature and more description studies are needed.
Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 2024
This study explores how artificial ponds can serve as reproductive sites for anurans in disturbed... more This study explores how artificial ponds can serve as reproductive sites for anurans in disturbed habitats, depending on the surrounding environment. The findings show that the habitat configuration and water quality play key roles in anuran beta diversity, with habitat being the main factor affecting community differences. Anthropogenic factors, such as soil exposure and urbanization, significantly impact species composition. Despite being artificial, these ponds can support anuran communities, but their effectiveness depends on nearby forest remnants and water quality.
Biotropica, 2025
Anthropogenic fire is a worldwide event that affects many ecosystems and organisms. In Southern B... more Anthropogenic fire is a worldwide event that affects many ecosystems and organisms. In Southern Brazil, grassland management with fire has been highly employed since the mid-18th century. Although the practice is regulated by federal law (prescribed fire), there is no detailed information about the impacts of this practice on the small, nonvolant fauna. We evaluated the effect of fire management on anuran species richness and community composition in Brazilian grassland areas that have adopted this practice for more than 15 years. Our results show that burning practices lead to a reduction of anuran richness. About 37% of the species occur exclusively in sites free of fire. Sites with fire management have low densities of taller grass and shrubs, which could reduce habitat availability for some anuran species. Nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity did not differ within and between treatments, but there was a tendency for a nestedness organization of the community in burned sites, suggesting that sites with fire management are a subsample of sites where fire is absent. Our results pointed out that prescribed fire practices have potentially negative effects on the anuran diversity. These results suggest that the changes in vegetation, in particular percentages of shrub cover, affect habitat suitability for some species. Therefore, anuran communities tend to become less diverse and lack arboreal species where fire occurs
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 2022
Our objective was to describe and compare the diet of endemic anurans of the Atlantic Forest, as ... more Our objective was to describe and compare the diet of endemic anurans of the Atlantic Forest, as well as to evaluate the influence of biotic factors on the trophic ecology of the species. We conducted the study in Mananciais da Serra (Piraquara-PR), a transition region between mixed and dense ombrophilous forest, between January 2019 and February 2020. In this work, we describe the diet of eight species: Aplastodiscus albosignatus, Boana semiguttata, Bokermannohyla circumdata, Ischnocnema henselii, Leptodactylus notoaktites, Proceratophrys boiei, Rhinella abei and Scythrophrys sawayae. Coleoptera were important prey in the diet of most species, except for B. circumdata and L. notoaktites. All species showed potential selection for some category of prey. We observed a correlation between the size of the individuals and the volume of consumed prey in I. henselii. In general, the niche overlap between species was low, and most species had a broad trophic niche.
Herpetologia Brasileira, Jan 31, 2022
Iheringia. Série Zoologia, 2022
In this study, we observed that burrows of Rhinella dorbignyi (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) are distri... more In this study, we observed that burrows of Rhinella dorbignyi (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) are distributed in a non-random manner in the habitat, suggesting a microhabitat selection for digging. This conclusion was based on a characterization of 36 burrows and surrounding micro-habitat. We established a 1 m x 1 m quadrat with the burrow in its central point (n=36) to measure the percentage (density) and the average heights of grasses, herbs, and shrubs. All measurements were repeated in two unused quadrats (without burrows) to evaluate the available microhabitat (n=72). The burrows are built in specific areas of the habitat with a higher percentage of grass, taller herbs, lower density of shrubs and low shaded sites than the founded at control sites. Based on three-dimensional models of the interior of the burrow (n=15), we observed that all of them were constructed with an elliptical opening that opens into a narrow channel perpendicular to the ground. Channels had a mean maximum diame...
Zoologia (Curitiba), 2022
The importance of amphibian bioacoustics is widely documented in ecological, taxonomical and evol... more The importance of amphibian bioacoustics is widely documented in ecological, taxonomical and evolutionary studies, as calls might act as a primary mechanism of reproductive isolation. The influence of air temperature and male size on the variation of the advertisement calls in anurans is widely recognized but still insufficiently analyzed in Brazilian species. Our goals were to (1) describe the advertisement call of Aplastodiscus albosignatus (Lutz & Lutz, 1938), (2) test the influence of temperature and body size on its acoustic signals and (3) evaluate the variation of within and between-male acoustic signals. Advertisement calls of A. albosignatus consist of an unpulsed note with four harmonics. In most cases, the dominant frequency is the third harmonic but, in some calls, it was the minimum frequency (first harmonic). The average duration of calls was 0.191 s, the interval between calls was 2.08 s and the repetition rate was 33 calls per minute. On average, the minimum frequency was 550.15 Hz, the maximum frequency was 3531.70 Hz and the third harmonic was 2498.9 Hz. To evaluate the effect of air temperature, and body size on the variation of call parameters, we performed generalized linear models. The most explanatory model for spectral parameters was temperature plus body size. Concerning temporal variables, the best model that explains the variation in call duration was body size, while for the interval between calls was air temperature. The maximum frequency and the frequency of the third harmonic had little variation in the calls of both the same male and different males. Thus, these parameters were considered important in species recognition.
Neotropical Biology and Conservation
Diet studies allow us to understand important questions about a species behavior in relation to r... more Diet studies allow us to understand important questions about a species behavior in relation to resource use. Aplastodiscus perviridis Lutz 1950 is an arboreal anuran that occurs in southern and southeastern Brazil and western Argentina. In this study, we described and analyzed the diet composition of a population of A. perviridis in southern Brazil. We evaluated the diet by examining the gastrointestinal contents of 42 specimens, 12% of which had no gastrointestinal content, while 12 prey categories were registered. Acarina, Araneae, Coleoptera-adults and Lepidoptera-larvae were the prey categories with the largest relative importance values. The trophic niche breadth was lower than those recorded for other hylids, suggesting a more specialized character.
Reptile diversity of Sinos River Basin, 2018
This work aimed to catalog the species of reptiles of the Sinos River Basin based on records from... more This work aimed to catalog the species of reptiles of the Sinos River Basin based on records from scientific collections and data collected in the field. We recorded 65 species, including 46 snakes, nine lizards, five turtles, four amphisbaenians and one caiman. Snakes composed most of the recorded specimens (91.3%), and the three most representative are venomous and of medical importance. The most urban region of the basin (Lowland) has the highest number of records. This fact may be a reflection of the high human population density in this region, which would have favored the encounter of specimens and their sending to scientific collections and research centers. It is worth highlighting that most species with few specimens in the collections are also rarely observed in the wild, such as Clelia hussani and Urostrophus vautieri. This observation makes it feasible that these populations are small or that they are declining.