Is livestock grazing compatible with amphibian diversity in the High Mountains of Córdoba, Argentina?

VERGA ERNESTO; LEYNAUD GERARDO C.; LESCANO JULIAN N.; BELLIS LAURA

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2012 vol. 58 p. 823 - 832

1612-4642

The High Mountains of Córdoba, Argentina have a long evolutionary history of grazing by large herbivores. However, about 400 years ago, European livestock were introduced and gradually replaced native herbivores. Since the 1920s, domestic herbivores have been the only large herbivores present in the area, causing severe soil erosion and a threat to the system diversity. The endemic fauna of the region includes four amphibian species. We evaluated the effect of livestock rearing on amphibian diversity and water bodies in woodlands and grasslands of the High Mountains of Córdoba. The work was conducted on stream stretches and ponds in two contrasting grazing situations: an area with livestock presence and another area where livestock was excluded 14 years ago. The following variables were recorded at each sampling site: amphibian richness and abundance, percentage of emergent, submerged and peripheral vegetation in areas surrounding the water bodies, water pH, and water dissolved O2. No significant differences were detected in amphibian diversity between streams of both grazing situations, whereas a greater diversity (p