Landscape context affects site occupancy of pond-breeding anurans across a disturbance gradient in the Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract

Context The Brazilian Cerrado, a global biodiversity hotspot, is being converted to agricultural production. Amphibians in particular are susceptible to agricultural practices that threaten both their wetland and upland habitats. Although local site variables are important for determining species occurrence, site occupancy is also mediated by the broader landscape and management context in which the site occurs.

Objectives Investigate the relative effects of broad-, intermediate-, and local-scale factors on species occurrence for pond-breeding anurans within different landscapes across an agricultural-disturbance gradient in the Cerrado.

Methods Ponds were surveyed for adult anurans over 3 years within 18 landscapes (each 625 km2) that varied in their degree of agricultural land use (landscape context). We analyzed species distribution models for eight pond-breeding anurans, using hierarchical binomial generalized linear models.

Results The broader landscape context had a significant effect on the incidence of pond-breeding anurans, even after accounting for variation in other environmental factors at more local (pond) or intermediate (1-km2) scales. The top-ranked models for most species included some combination of broad-, intermediate- and local-scale factors, however. These covariates influenced species occurrence in different ways, with the response to agricultural disturbance varying among species. Although some species were negatively affected, others appeared to benefit from agricultural activities that increased breeding habitat (e.g., impoundments to provide water for cattle).

Conclusions Landscape context, the degree to which landscapes have been transformed by agricultural land use, has a major influence on the distribution of pond-breeding anurans in the Brazilian Cerrado.