The importance of amphibian sampling in agricultural environments

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Amphibians are the most endangered group of vertebrates on the planet, with 41% of their species under some threat category. Habitat destruction, climate change and the spread of emerging diseases are the main cause of this widespread decline. In a Mediterranean climate, like that of much of the Iberian Peninsula, the causes that cause the disappearance of amphibian populations can be accentuated, especially those related to climate change, which generates longer periods of drought, making the availability of ponds to breed.

Likewise, the destruction of habitat, specifically Ecuador Email List these temporary ponds, is accelerating the loss of amphibians in the extensive agricultural lands of the Peninsula. It must be taken into account that amphibians require temporary bodies of water to breed, since in this way they avoid predators present in permanent masses, such as fish. Many of these ponds are destroyed in crops, most of the time even unconsciously, since the owners generally identify them as unimportant ponds. This means that amphibian populations in these agricultural areas are at their limits, unlike what happens in mountains and areas without this management.



These populations are generally isolated, fragmented and reduced. It is therefore essential, in environmental inventory work, to identify any possible remaining population of these species, in order to conserve their point of reproduction, as well as to propose measures that encourage the recovery of the identified population. The clearest example is the creation of additional ponds, but measures are also necessary to avoid fragmentation, increase refuge and the availability of trophic resources.