Factors affecting the distribution of cryptic anurans in Malaysian montane forests

影响马来西亚山地森林隐性无尾动物分布的因素

• 批准号: 2106112
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Southampton
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2018 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2106112
• 关键词: Factors; affecting; distribution; cryptic; anurans

Amphibians have survived the last four major extinction events in Earth's history, and now in the Anthropocene they face an unprecedented global rate of extinction [1]. Southeast Asia hosts at least 700 species of Amphibian [1], and ~50% of Malaysian species currently have threatened status [2]. We currently lack vital information on the impacts of deforestation and climate change on their population dynamics with which to assess extinction risks and plan conservation management.Montane forests provide important refuges for threatened and endemic species, although they are greatly affected by both anthropogenic development and climate change [2]. Previous studies have investigated the effect of environmental change on commonly encountered montane anurans. A knowledge gap remains on the distribution of rare or cryptic anurans with low detection rates and sporadic site occupancy. Many of these species may depend on the availability of ephemeral microhabitats, particularly phytotelmata: water-filled cavities in terrestrial plants.This project aims to develop methods to study the ecology of cryptic montane forest anurans, and to investigate factors affecting their distribution across a disturbance gradient. Traditional survey methods will be combined with modern methods of Environmental DNA analysis [3] to develop a framework enabling the future monitoring of these species.

两栖动物在地球历史上的最后四次大灭绝事件中幸存下来，现在在人类世，它们面临着前所未有的全球灭绝速度。东南亚拥有至少700种两栖动物[1]，约50%的马来西亚物种目前处于受威胁状态[2]。目前，我们缺乏森林砍伐和气候变化对其种群动态影响的重要信息，无法评估物种灭绝风险和规划保护管理。山地森林为受威胁和特有物种提供了重要的避难所，尽管它们受到人类发展和气候变化的极大影响[2]。以往的研究已经调查了环境变化对常见的山地无尾两栖动物的影响。一个知识差距仍然是罕见的或神秘的无尾两栖动物的分布与低检测率和零星的网站占用。这些物种中的许多可能依赖于短暂的微生境，特别是phytotelmata：在陆地plants.This项目的目的是开发方法来研究生态的神秘的山地森林无尾两栖动物，并调查影响其分布的干扰梯度的因素。传统的调查方法将与环境DNA分析的现代方法相结合[3]，以开发一个框架，使这些物种的未来监测。