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Biology
Special Issues
Biodiversity and Conservation of Amphibians
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Biodiversity and Conservation of Amphibians

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Conservation Biology and Biodiversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 4036

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Peng Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
Interests: molecular evolutionary mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity; comparative genomics and evolutionary genetics; phylogeny and biogeography; biodiversity and distribution patterns

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Amphibian diversity is an important part of biodiversity, and it represents an excellent model for studying the factors affecting distribution and evolution. Amphibians in many countries are facing many threats, such as habitat degradation and loss, overuse, environmental pollution and climate change. Globally, amphibians are significantly more threatened than other vertebrate groups. Conservation research is an important tool to understand and mitigate this decline, and landscape modeling, phylogenetic analyses through genomics, the definition of ecological requirements, and the understanding of behavioral ecology are among the lines of research available.

Threats generally include habitat loss or degradation, pathogens, invasive species, genetic erosion and hybridization, and climate change. However, human activities are also the reason why some species are still extant, although the impact of conservation projects and that of protected areas is rarely scientifically assessed. For instance, the number of amphibian species benefitting from conservation activities and the impact of these projects on population dynamics is generally unclear, and the number of species extinct in the wild but surviving in captivity has not been determined. This Special Issue focuses on novel research on the impact of human activities on amphibians, and we welcome contributions focusing on both the vulnerability and conservation of species and populations, including policies and assessments of species’ threat and conservation statuses. Similarly, research on local adaptation, or the lack of, due to recent shifts in human activities is welcome, as well as long-term variables impacting the ecology of species, such as adaptations to light or sound pollution, temperature increases and the salinization of the environment.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute your research to provide suggestions and theoretical support for a better understanding of the biodiversity and conservation of amphibians.

This Special Issue aims to assess the state of amphibian diversity, distribution and conservation around the world. We also would like to explore advances in amphibian taxonomy, phylogeny, molecular biology, ecology and evolution, conservation biology, behavior, physiology, etc.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following topics:

  • Diversity distribution, ecology and conservation of amphibians.
  • The main factors driving the distribution and community expansion of amphibians.
  • The mechanism of species extinction and the survival of amphibians in the wild.
  • The impact of human activities on amphibians, including changes to habitats, bio-invasion and artificial propagation, etc.
  • The vulnerability and conservation of species and populations of amphibians, including policies and assessments of species’ threat and conservation statuses, etc.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Peng Li
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • amphibians
  • biodiversity
  • conservation
  • climate change
  • ecology and evolution
  • behavior
  • habitat
  • bio-invasion

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 61986 KiB  
Article
Spatial Patterns of Species Diversity of Amphibians in a Nature Reserve in Eastern China
by Yanmei Wang, Huali Hu, Lei Feng, Jingyi Chen, Junjie Zhong, Rachel Wan Xin Seah and Guohua Ding
Biology 2023, 12(3), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12030461 - 16 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1809
Abstract
Elevational gradients provide an excellent opportunity to assess biodiversity patterns and community structure. Previous studies mainly focus on higher elevations or are limited to small areas in mountainous regions. Little information can be found on amphibian biodiversity in middle- and low-elevational areas, hence [...] Read more.
Elevational gradients provide an excellent opportunity to assess biodiversity patterns and community structure. Previous studies mainly focus on higher elevations or are limited to small areas in mountainous regions. Little information can be found on amphibian biodiversity in middle- and low-elevational areas, hence our study was devoted to filling up the current gaps in these research areas. To understand the variability of biodiversity of amphibian species in the Fujian Junzifeng National Nature Reserve in eastern China, our study included taxonomic and phylogenetic components to describe the various patterns of regional and elevational distribution. The results showed that (1) most of the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity metrics were correlated; with regard to the surveyed area, Faith’s phylogenetic diversity index (PD) and net relatedness index (NRI) were positively correlated with the Shannon–Wiener index (H’), Margalef index (DMG), and species richness (S), while negatively with the Pielou index; whereas for elevation, only the Pielou index was positively correlated with the nearest taxon index (NTI), but negatively with other indices; (2) taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities did not differ among the three survey locations but differed significantly along the elevational gradient; Simpson index, H’, S, and DMG had a hump-shaped relationship with elevations, and PD decreased gradually with the increase in elevation, whereas NRI and NTI sharply increased at the elevation above 900 m; (3) the species range size and the corresponding midpoint of amphibians were affected by a strong phylogenetic signal, which supports the elevational Rapoport’s rule upon removal of Pachytriton brevipes and Boulenophrys sanmingensis from the study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Conservation of Amphibians)
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13 pages, 1641 KiB  
Article
Latitude-Induced and Behaviorally Thermoregulated Variations in Upper Thermal Tolerance of Two Anuran Species
by Ye Inn Kim, Ming-Feng Chuang, Amaël Borzée, Sera Kwon and Yikweon Jang
Biology 2022, 11(10), 1506; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11101506 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1650
Abstract
Although thermal tolerance along geographical gradients gives an insight into species’ response to climate change, current studies on thermal tolerance are strongly skewed towards global-scale patterns. As a result, intraspecific variations are often assumed to be constant, despite a lack of evidence. To [...] Read more.
Although thermal tolerance along geographical gradients gives an insight into species’ response to climate change, current studies on thermal tolerance are strongly skewed towards global-scale patterns. As a result, intraspecific variations are often assumed to be constant, despite a lack of evidence. To understand population-specific responses to thermal stress, we investigated the presence of intraspecific variations in the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) of tadpoles in two anuran species, Rana uenoi and Bufo sachalinensis. The study was conducted across a five-degree latitudinal gradient in the Republic of Korea. We exposed the tadpoles to increasing temperatures and recorded the CTmax for 270 R. uenoi individuals from 11 sites, collected in rice paddies, and for 240 B. sachalinensis individuals from ten sites, collected in reservoirs. We also recorded the swimming performance and behavior of the tadpoles when placed in an experimental apparatus during CTmax measurements. We then used linear regressions to determine the relationship between abiotic factors and CTmax. In R. uenoi, we found a positive relationship between latitude and CTmax, but the tadpoles did not display specific thermoregulatory behaviors. In B. sachalinensis, none of the abiotic factors such as climate and geographic coordinates were related to CTmax, but we detected a tendency to swim close to the water surface when water temperature was increasing. For R. uenoi, we tentatively relate the CTmax variability across the latitudinal gradient to a physiological adaptive response associated with habitat characteristics that are assumed to be fluctuating, as the species inhabits small water bodies prone to drying out. In the case of B. sachalinensis, the behavior observed may be linked to oxygen depletion and thermoregulation, as it may buffer temperature changes in the absence of physiological adjustment. These findings suggest that intra-specific variations in CTmax are greater than generally accounted for, and thermal conditions of natural environments are important for understanding thermal tolerance in ectothermic species. Our results highlight that species’ specific responses to climate warmings need to be studied to better protect species against climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Conservation of Amphibians)
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