Artificial aquatic habitats impoverish amphibian diversity in agricultural landscapes of central Argentina

PERRONE, SOFÍA MICAELA; DEUTSCH, CAMILA; BILENCA, DAVID NORBERTO; AGOSTINI, MARÍA GABRIELA

AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS

JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD

Año: 2022 vol. 32 p. 591 - 604

1052-7613

In central Argentina, agro-ecosystems constitute the dominant landscape, representing the replacement of extensive grassland areas by crops and pastures. Agriculture has caused the loss of extensive areas of Pampean inland wetlands through drainage and the construction of artificial aquatic habitats such as ditches and ponds. This study evaluated the availability and amphibian breeding use of 194 natural and artificial open water habitats and identified those attributes that affect amphibian diversity (richness, abundance and species occurrence). Interviews with farmers revealed that all artificial ditches, drainage channels and ponds were constructed directly or indirectly to support agricultural activities, and 61.5% of them were created at the expense of natural wetlands. The results from generalized linear mixed models) indicated a significant decrease (P