Direct development in Atlantic Forest anurans: What can environmental and biotic influences explain about its evolution and occurrence?

Different environmental and biological factors can originate and support different alternative life histories in different taxonomic groups. Likewise, these factors are important for the processes that assemble and structure communities. Amphibians, besides being highly susceptible to environmental conditions, have various reproductive strategies, such as the direct development of individuals.

Pet distribution modelling: Untangling the invasive potential of Trachemys dorbigni (Emydidae) in the Americas.

Human activities have been changing the global biogeographic patterns by the introductions of invasive species. For reptiles, the invasion rate increase of non-native species is remarkably related to the pet trade, especially for freshwater turtles. Here we estimated the invasive potential of the South American turtle Trachemys dorbigni in the Americas using a combination of climatic and human activity variables.

Anthropogenic substrate-borne vibrations impact anuran calling.

Anthropogenic disturbance is a major cause of the biodiversity crisis. Nevertheless, the role of anthropogenic substrate vibrations in disrupting animal behavior is poorly understood. Amphibians comprise the terrestrial vertebrates most sensitive to vibrations, and since communication is crucial to their survival and reproduction, they are a suitable model for investigating this timely subject.

Correction: Effects of traffic noise on the calling behavior of two Neotropical hylid frogs.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Invasive American bullfrogs and African Clawed Frogs in South America: High Suitability of Occurrence in Biodiversity Hotspots.

Invasion of protected areas by non-native species is currently one of the main threats to global biodiversity. Using an ensemble of bioclimatic envelope models we quantify the degree of exposure of South American protected areas to invasion by two invasive amphibian species. We focus on protected areas that coincide with global biodiversity hotspots.

Effects of traffic noise on the calling behavior of two Neotropical hylid frogs.

Anthropogenic disturbance has been pointed to as one of the major causes of the world´s biodiversity crisis. Among them, noise pollution is a potential underestimated threat, projected to increase in the next decades accompanying urban expansion. Rising levels of noise pollution may result in negative impacts on species highly dependent on acoustic communication.

Can Protected Areas with Agricultural Edges Avoid Invasions? The Case of Bullfrogs in the Southern Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil.

The American bullfrog, , is one of the 100 most harmful invasive species of the planet. Climatic and topographic models predict that the Atlantic Forest regions of southern Brazil are favorable for the establishment of invasive bullfrog populations. The predicted increase of temperature and concentration of gases associated with the greenhouse effect will augment the vulnerability of protected areas of the Atlantic forest to bullfrog invasions in the coming years.

The Interplay between Environmental Filtering and Spatial Processes in Structuring Communities: The Case of Neotropical Snake Communities.

Both habitat filters and spatial processes can influence community structure. Space alone affects species immigration from the regional species pool, whereas habitat filters affect species distribution and inter-specific interactions. This study aimed to understand how the interplay between environmental and geographical processes influenced the structure of Neotropical snake communities in different habitat types.

Quantifying anuran microhabitat use to infer the potential for parasite transmission between invasive cane toads and two species of Australian native frogs.

Parasites that are carried by invasive species can infect native taxa, with devastating consequences. In Australia, invading cane toads (Rhinella marina) carry lungworm parasites (Rhabdias pseudosphaerocephala) that (based on previous laboratory studies) can infect native treefrogs (Litoria caerulea and L. splendida).

Land use explains the distribution of threatened New World amphibians better than climate.

Background: We evaluated the direct and indirect influence of climate, land use, phylogenetic structure, species richness and endemism on the distribution of New World threatened amphibians.

Methodology/principal Findings: We used the WWF's New World ecoregions, the WWFs amphibian distributional data and the IUCN Red List Categories to obtain the number of threatened species per ecoregion. We analyzed three different scenarios urgent, moderate, and the most inclusive scenario.

Biological invasions and the acoustic niche: the effect of bullfrog calls on the acoustic signals of white-banded tree frogs.

Invasive species are known to affect native species in a variety of ways, but the effect of acoustic invaders has not been examined previously. We simulated an invasion of the acoustic niche by exposing calling native male white-banded tree frogs (Hypsiboas albomarginatus) to recorded invasive American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) calls. In response, tree frogs immediately shifted calls to significantly higher frequencies.