Distribuição espacial de anuros e lagartos ao longo de gradientes ambientais em uma floresta de terra firme na Amazônia oriental, Pará, Brasil

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the relationship between anuran and lizard communities, as well as of some individual species, with leaf litter depth, total basal area of trees, understorey vegetation density, and canopy cover. Sampling occurred between August and November 2007, in a 25 km² grid implanted by the ‘Programa de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade’ (Biodiversity Research Program - PPBIO) / Amazônia, located in the Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, Pará, Brazil. Two sampling methods were used: active search and pitfall traps with drift fences. A total of 892 lizard and anuran individuals, of 27 species (15 anuran and 12 lizard species), were recorded. Twelve anuran species (101 individuals) and 12 lizard species (171 individuals) were registered through active search, whereas 11 anuran species (327 individuals) and 15 lizard species (293 individuals) were captured by pitfall traps. No significant relationship was found between distribution of anuran and lizard communities with environmental predictors, indicating that these species occur throughout all studied environmental gradients. Only the lizards Coleodactylus amazonicus and Ptychoglossus brevifrontalis were significantly associated with understorey vegetation density and leaf litter depth, respectively. This study is expected to contribute to the improvement of the research design for the herpetofauna within PPBIO.