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Título del libro: Mexican Fauna In The Anthropocene
Título del capítulo: The Amphibians of the Mexican Montane Cloud Forest

Autores UNAM:
ANGEL FERNANDO SOTO POZOS; MARIA DELIA BASANTA; MIRNA GRISEL GARCIA CASTILLO; GABRIELA PARRA OLEA;
Autores externos:

Idioma:

Año de publicación:
2023
Palabras clave:

Amphibians; Anthropization; Montane Cloud Forest


Resumen:

The Montane Cloud Forest (MCF) is one of the rarest and most emblematic ecosystems in Mexico. Its landscapes are characterized by dense fog banks, complex vegetational structure, and a high density of epiphytic plants. This type of forest occupies approximately 1% of the national territory but its high-environmental heterogeneity and microhabitats variety have promoted the adaptive radiation and diversification of certain groups of animals such as amphibians of the families Plethodontidae, Hylidae, Craugastoridae, and Eleutherodactylidae. The naturally fragmented distribution of this forest has led to a high proportion of endemisms, since most of the amphibian species that have evolved there have restricted distributions. These characteristics jeopardize this forest and the species that inhabit there in the face of anthropological activities. The MCF has a high rate of deforestation and land-use change, due to the suitability of its land for different crops. The impact of anthropological activities has led to a subsequent environmental deterioration, affecting the species that subsist in remnants of this forest. Population declines have been recorded in those highly specialized species, which on top of suffering from habitat modifications also face threats such as infectious emerging diseases. The conservation plans of the MCF should contemplate the establishment of ?archipelago type? reserves, congruent with their distribution. This scheme, coupled with restoration strategies, could improve the conservation status for the species in the near future. The monitoring of the amphibian species of the MCF has been an indispensable tool to identify their population declines and the effect of habitat loss, climate change, and emerging diseases on these species, which serve as health indicators for this particular ecosystem. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.


Entidades citadas de la UNAM: