Short-Term Population Dynamics of Three Frog Species in the Northern Andes, Colombia

• Published in: South american journal of herpetology Vol. 9; no. 3; pp. 200 - 206
• Main Authors: Molina-Zuluaga, Claudia, Restrepo Adriana, Flechas Sandra V, Daza Juan M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazilian Society of Herpetology 01.12.2014
• Subjects: biodiversity; conservation status; Craugastoridae; data collection; Dendrobates; Dendrobatidae; field experimentation; frogs; indigenous species; life history; Mark-recapture; monitoring; Population dynamics; population growth; Population growth rate; Pradel model; probability; Survival probability; Colombia; Andes region
• ISSN: 1808-9798
• DOI: 10.2994/SAJH-D-14-00009.1

To assess the conservation status of endemic species we examined the population trends in three frog species with different life histories. We performed a mark-recapture field experiment in a protected area on the eastern flank of the Cordillera Central in the northern Andes of Colombia. We marked and followed 123 individuals of Pristimantis jaguensis, 178 Colostethus aff. fraterdanieli, and 83 Dendrobates truncatus. The survival probability and the population growth rate of P. jaguensis varied as a function of capture occasion, while the recapture probability was constant. In the two dendrobatids, C. aff. fraterdanieli and D. truncatus, survival and recapture probabilities were constant over time and the population growth rate indicated the populations were stables during monitoring. Long-term monitoring programs are recommended to establish with certainty the conservation status of each species. However, in the perspective of the current biodiversity crisis in which rapid management decisions must be made, it is necessary to draw on the available data even if its limited. Although our demographic dataset is limited in time, we demonstrated how this information constitutes a starting point to understand the conservation status of these frog populations and to establish standard methods to continue long-term monitoring programs.