Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario 100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico.
El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Periférico Sur s/n, María Auxiliadora, 29290, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.
Environ Manage. 2022 Dec;70(6):965-977. doi: 10.1007/s00267-022-01700-0. Epub 2022 Aug 29.
Habitat loss is one of the most important threats to biodiversity; it alters the habitat connectivity of species and is among the main causes of the global amphibian extinction crisis. Identifying the potential areas of distribution and connectivity of species is of the utmost importance so that informed decisions can be made for the conservation of vulnerable amphibian populations. In this study, we performed species distribution models and used circuit theory to model omnidirectional connectivity for two plethodontid salamanders of conservation concern distributed in the forests of Chiapas, Mexico, and Guatemala (Bolitoglossa franklini and Bolitoglossa lincolni). Potential distribution maps show an affinity for well-preserved montane forests for both species. Likewise, we found that the niches of the species are not similar. The connectivity models show that the main areas of connectivity are in the Meseta Central de Chiapas, Sierra Madre de Chiapas, and the Cordillera Volcánica Guatemalense, in this last range, important areas of connectivity were located, as well as least-cost paths and barriers to the movement of both species. We identified that important areas of climatic suitability and connectivity are not within the protected natural areas and may be threatened by the increasing influence of anthropogenic activities. The results of our study show the importance of preserving the regional forests to ensure the persistence of species with arboreal habits and high sensitivity to habitat transformation, as well as to recognize and prioritize potential areas for management and protection in both southern Mexico and Guatemala.
生境丧失是生物多样性面临的最重要威胁之一；它改变了物种的栖息地连通性，是全球两栖动物灭绝危机的主要原因之一。确定物种的潜在分布和连通性区域至关重要，以便为保护脆弱的两栖动物种群做出明智的决策。在这项研究中，我们进行了物种分布模型，并使用电路理论为分布在墨西哥恰帕斯州和危地马拉森林中的两种受保护的有尾目蝾螈（Bolitoglossa franklini 和 Bolitoglossa lincolni）建模全方位连通性。潜在分布地图显示出这两个物种对保存完好的高山森林有亲和力。同样，我们发现这些物种的生态位并不相似。连通性模型表明，主要的连通区域在恰帕斯中央高原、恰帕斯山脉和危地马拉火山山脉，在最后一个山脉范围内，发现了重要的连通区域，以及这两个物种移动的最小成本路径和障碍。我们确定，气候适宜性和连通性的重要区域不在受保护的自然区域内，并且可能受到人为活动日益增加的影响。我们研究的结果表明，保护区域森林对于确保具有树栖习性和对栖息地转化高度敏感的物种的持续存在非常重要，同时还需要认识和优先考虑管理和保护的潜在区域，这不仅在墨西哥南部，也在危地马拉。
