Instituto de Ecología, Veracruz, México.
Biol Lett. 2010 Dec 23;6(6):781-4. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0334. Epub 2010 Jun 16.
Tropical forests undergo continuous transformation to other land uses, resulting in landscapes typified by forest fragments surrounded by anthropogenic habitats. Small forest fragments, specifically strip-shaped remnants flanking streams (referred to as riparian remnants), can be particularly important for the maintenance and conservation of biodiversity within highly fragmented forests. We compared frog species diversity between riparian remnants, other forest fragments and cattle pastures in a tropical landscape in Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. We found similar species richness in the three habitats studied and a similar assemblage structure between riparian remnants and forest fragments, although species composition differed by 50 per cent. Frog abundance was halved in riparian remnants compared with forest fragments, but was twice that found in pastures. Our results suggest that riparian remnants play an important role in maintaining a portion of frog species diversity in a highly fragmented forest, particularly during environmentally stressful (hot and dry) periods. In this regard, however, the role of riparian remnants is complementary, rather than substitutive, with respect to the function of other forest fragments within the fragmented forest.
热带森林不断向其他土地利用方式转变，导致景观以森林碎片为特征，周围是人为栖息地。小的森林碎片，特别是沿溪流的条状残余物（称为河岸残余物），对于高度破碎化森林内生物多样性的维持和保护可能特别重要。我们比较了墨西哥洛斯图尔斯特拉斯热带景观中河岸残余物、其他森林碎片和牛牧场之间的青蛙物种多样性。我们发现三种栖息地的物种丰富度相似，河岸残余物和森林碎片之间的组合结构也相似，尽管物种组成有 50%的差异。与森林碎片相比，河岸残余物中的青蛙数量减少了一半，但是牧场的两倍。我们的研究结果表明，河岸残余物在维持高度破碎化森林中部分青蛙物种多样性方面发挥了重要作用，特别是在环境压力大（炎热干燥）的时期。然而，在这种情况下，河岸残余物的作用是补充性的，而不是替代性的，与破碎化森林内其他森林碎片的功能相比。
