Amphibian and reptile diversity and landscape connectivity in the Central Andes of Colombia: a Local Climate Zones approach

Source abstract

Abstract The accelerated loss of biodiversity is one of the major concerns for conservation actions. In Colombia, much of the urban and cultivated areas are concentrated in the Andean region, a global biodiversity hotspot that retains less than 15% of its original forest cover. In this region, biodiversity studies are not often performed in urban environments. Here, this study present information about the diversity and composition of amphibians and reptiles in green areas of the municipality of Manizales, in the Central Andes of Colombia. To document the diversity and changes in the presence of amphibians and reptiles in the green and urbanized areas of Manizales, we performed fieldwork, literature searches and review of specimens from biological collections. Additionally, we incorporated a spatial analysis of ecological connectivity based on the Local Climate Zones (LCZ) classification. We recorded 30 species (10 amphibians, 20 reptiles), 16 endemic to Colombia, and two threatened species. Strabomantidae was the most diverse amphibian family (5 spp.), while for reptiles it was Colubridae (11 spp.). Field surveys yielded 291 individuals across 17 species, with Pristimantis thectopternus being the most abundant amphibian and Pholidobolus marianus the most common reptile. Species richness showed moderate positive correlation with area, though the smallest site exhibited the highest species density. LCZ analysis revealed significant landscape fragmentation. Reptiles demonstrated greater urban tolerance than amphibians. Our results highlight the critical importance of conserving urban green areas and the utility of LCZ for biodiversity conservation planning in rapidly urbanizing Andean ecosystems.