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Cited by 7Amphibian and Reptile BiologyFish Ecology and Management StudiesFreshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology

Environmental Factors Affecting Amphibian Communities in River Basins of the Southern Apennines

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Nessi, Alessandro, Cioccarelli, Sara, Tremolada, Paolo, Gariano, Pasquale, Grandinetti, Maria, Balestrieri, Alessandro, Manenti, Raoul·2023·Diversity
DOI 10.3390/d15050625
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Abstract

The study of the environmental features affecting amphibian communities is a priority task for addressing effective conservation initiatives. In the southern edge of the Apennines (Sila Massif, Calabria Region, Italy), we surveyed the distribution of amphibians in lotic freshwater habitats (eight rivers, 17 sampling stations, 87 transects) and recorded nine environmental variables, including the occurrence of potential predators (fish and Eurasian otter Lutra lutra), potentially affecting the distribution and breeding success of amphibian species. A total of seven amphibian species was recorded (75.9% of transects). Fish occurred in all rivers while the otter was found in four rivers (Amato, Lese, Neto, and Savuto). Illuminance and bank heterogeneity were the main factors affecting amphibian reproduction, while neither otter nor fish presence showed significant effects on the amphibian community. Overall, habitat complexity and coevolution history seemed to shape the distribution of amphibians and their breeding sites, while the ongoing recolonization of the study area by the otter is expected to have a negligible impact on the richness of the amphibian community.

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  • Recent studies have confirmed that good water quality positively influences amphibian diversity.

    “Recent, studies have confirmed the positive influence of good water quality on amphibian diversity, aligning with the higher abundance observed in natural ponds such as Pond B in Ludhiana and Pond E in Jalandhar (Nessi et al., 2023; Hyongaju et al., 2023; Sheraz et al., 2024).”

    From Comparative analysis of amphibian community dynamics in relation to water quality in pond types across two Punjab districts, India (2025) · cites this paper as Nessi et al., 2023

    The Introduction (page unavailable) identifies pollution as a cause of amphibian decline, which supports a general link between water conditions and amphibians. But the study’s environmental measurements and analyses (Methods §§2.3 and 2.5; page unavailable) do not establish that better water quality increases amphibian diversity. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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Authors
Nessi, A., Cioccarelli, S., Tremolada, P., Gariano, P., Grandinetti, M., Balestrieri, A., & Manenti, R.
Affiliations
  • University of Milan (IT)
  • University of Pisa (IT)
  • TEA Engineering S.r.l., I-56121 Pisa, Italy
  • CESRAM—Centro Studi e Ricerca Ambiente Marino, I-88065 Guardavalle, Italy
Corresponding author
Cioccarelli, Sara
ORCID
Venue
Diversity
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2023-05-04
Volume
15
Issue
5
Pages
625
ISSN
1424-2818 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/d15050625
OpenAlex
W4381837608
Cited by
7
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1
FWCI
0.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Diversity (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca (Universita Degli Studi Di Milano) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Regione Calabria
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Amphibian and Reptile Biology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Fish Ecology and Management Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
Keywords
amphibian communities, environmental drivers, river basins, freshwater habitats, otter, Lutra lutra, fish predation, amphibian breeding sites, illuminance, bank heterogeneity, habitat complexity, recolonization, amphibian conservation, Sila Massif, Apennines

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