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Cited by 355Amphibian and Reptile BiologyFreshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecologyEcology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Amphibian and reptile declines over 35 years at La Selva, Costa Rica

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Whitfield, Steven M., Bell, Kristen E., Philippi, Thomas, Sasa, Mahmood, Bolaños, Federico, Chaves, Gerardo, Savage, Jay M., Donnelly, Maureen A.·2007·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.0611256104PMC PMC1895953
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Abstract

Amphibians stand at the forefront of a global biodiversity crisis. More than one-third of amphibian species are globally threatened, and over 120 species have likely suffered global extinction since 1980. Most alarmingly, many rapid declines and extinctions are occurring in pristine sites lacking obvious adverse effects of human activities. The causes of these “enigmatic” declines remain highly contested. Still, lack of long-term data on amphibian populations severely limits our understanding of the distribution of amphibian declines, and therefore the ultimate causes of these declines. Here, we identify a systematic community-wide decline in populations of terrestrial amphibians at La Selva Biological Station, a protected old-growth lowland rainforest in lower Central America. We use data collected over 35 years to show that population density of all species of terrestrial amphibians has declined by ≈75% since 1970, and we show identical trends for all species of common reptiles. The trends we identify are neither consistent with recent emergence of chytridiomycosis nor the climate-linked epidemic hypothesis, two leading putative causes of enigmatic amphibian declines. Instead, our data suggest that declines are due to climate-driven reductions in the quantity of standing leaf litter, a critical microhabitat for amphibians and reptiles in this assemblage. Our results raise further concerns about the global persistence of amphibian populations by identifying widespread declines in species and habitats that are not currently recognized as susceptible to such risks.

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  • Predictions of tropical ectotherm vulnerability have been verified in a variety of tropical reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.

    “These predictions have been verified in a variety of tropical reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates (4–8).”

    From Climate-driven declines in arthropod abundance restructure a rainforest food web (2018) · cites this paper as [4]

  • Anolis populations in other tropical forests have declined in parallel with anoles at Luquillo.

    “Long-term abundance data taken by Pounds et al. (63), Whitfield et al. (4), and Stapley et al. (20) indicate that Anolis populations in other tropical forests have declined in parallel with anoles at Luquillo.”

    From Climate-driven declines in arthropod abundance restructure a rainforest food web (2018) · cites this paper as [4]

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1 of the 43 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

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Authors
Whitfield, S. M., Bell, K. E., Philippi, T., Sasa, M., Bolaños, F., Chaves, G., Savage, J. M., & Donnelly, M. A.
Affiliations
  • Florida International University (US)
  • *Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, University Park Campus, OE 167, Miami, FL 33199;
  • Universidad de Costa Rica (CR)
  • Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica; and
  • San Diego State University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2007-05-15
Volume
104
Issue
20
Pages
8352-8356
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.0611256104
PMC
PMC1895953
OpenAlex
W1990549687
Cited by
355
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 26
FWCI
20.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (9200081)
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Florida International University
  • Universidad de Costa Rica
  • Division of Environmental Biology
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Amphibian and Reptile Biology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
Keywords
amphibian decline, terrestrial amphibians, reptiles, leaf litter, climate change, chytridiomycosis, lowland rainforest, La Selva Biological Station, long-term population monitoring
MeSH terms
Amphibians, Animals, Climate, Costa Rica, Reptiles, Plant Leaves, Extinction, Biological

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