Identifying important areas for the conservation of dwarf chameleons (Brookesia spp.) in Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, western Madagascar
Many of Madagascar's endemic chameleon species have restricted ranges and require relatively intact forest for survival but information on their response to habitat degradation is generally lacking, especially in western deciduous forests. We assessed the abundance and density of endemic chamel...
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Published in | Oryx Vol. 42; no. 4; pp. 578 - 583 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Cambridge, UK
Cambridge University Press
01.10.2008
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Many of Madagascar's endemic chameleon species have restricted ranges and require relatively intact forest for survival but information on their response to habitat degradation is generally lacking, especially in western deciduous forests. We assessed the abundance and density of endemic chameleons from nocturnal surveys of roosting animals in Parc National Tsingy de Bemaraha in western Madagascar. We found 444 Brookesia brygooi, 192 B. perarmata, 98 B. exarmata, 22 Furcifer nicosiai and two F. cf. petteri. The highest pooled density was for B. brygooi (53.2 ha-1), followed by B. perarmata (29.2 ha-1) and B. exarmata (18.7 ha-1). B. brygooi was ubiquitous, with the highest density and abundance in the disturbed Ankazomanga forest outside the Park, where the similarly sized B. perarmata was absent. B. perarmata, a species endemic to the Park, was abundant in three of the five survey sites, especially where there was a well-developed leaf litter and understorey. B. exarmata, a species endemic to the Bemaraha plateau, was associated with an open understorey and small protrusions of limestone karst. Spatial variation in the density of B. perarmata is an important consideration when interpreting monitoring data and this species is a conservation priority because of its restricted distribution and apparent sensitivity to forest degradation. |
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Bibliography: | Also at: Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Universite d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo (101), Madagascar. ArticleID:00080 istex:51C87E87942FA6A5A8E006EA339FCAEFA3A1A53F ark:/67375/6GQ-PLPV8GXM-L PII:S003060530800080X ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0030-6053 1365-3008 |
DOI: | 10.1017/S003060530800080X |