Changes in the Herpetofauna of a Fresh Water River in Southern Nigeria, after 20 Years of Development

Jerry M. Lea, Edoardo Politano, Luca Luiselli

Abstract


Surveys of the herpetofauna of a fresh water river in Southern Nigeria were conducted in 1982 and 2002. Riparian forest in the area has diminished tenfold between the surveys and the environment nowadays resembles a bushland mosaic. This study therefore provides insight into species succession of an area undergoing major habitat disturbance.

Accumulation curves for both years indicated that most amphibian species were captured but there were probably reptile species remaining undiscovered. In 1982, 11 amphibian and 17 reptile species were caught compared to 17 amphibian and 10 reptile species in 2002. The change in available habitat type is mirrored by the successional change in amphibian and reptilian species composition. Forest specialists (e.g., Ptychadena aequiplicata, Chiromantis rufescens, Acanthixalus spinosus, Hyperolius sylvaticus nigeriensis, Kinixys homeana, and Chamaeleo spp.) are no longer present in 2002, whereas more generalist species or those preferring disturbed habitats now dominate (e.g., Hoplobatrachus occipitalis, Ptychadena mascareniensis, P. bibroni, Phrynobatrachus latifrons, Bufo maculatus, Psammophis phillipsii, Philothamnus heterodermus, Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia, and Naja nigricollis). The greater diversity of amphibian species in 2002 maybe a reflection of an increased diversity of microenvironments in the bushland mosaic compared to the forest. The most successful species (Ranidae, esp. Ptychadena) are those that are able to take advantage of multiple habitat types depending on prevailing environmental conditions.


Keywords


Succession; conservation; edge effect; spatial heterogeneity; herpetofauna; Nigeria; amphibian declines; habitat destruction/change

Full Text:

PDF

References


Akani G. C. and Luiselli L. (2002), «Amphibian faunal diversity and conservation status in the Niger Delta Basin (Southern Nigeria): an update», Froglog, 51, http://www2.open.ac.uk/biology/froglog/FROGLOG-51-3.html.

Akani G. C., Ogbalu O. K., and Luiselli L. (2001), «Life-history and ecological distribution of chameleons (Reptilia, Chamaeleonidae) from the rain forests of Nigeria: conservation implications», Animal Biodiv. Conserv., 24, 1 – 15.

Amiet J.-L. (1986), «La Batrachofaune sylvicole d’un secteur forestier du Cameroun: la région de Yaoundé», Mem. Mus. Nat. Hist. Nat. Paris. Zool., 132, 29 – 42.

AmphibiaWeb (2002), Information on Amphibian Biology and Conservation, Univ. of California at Berkeley, http://amphibiaweb.org

Barbault R. (1981), Ecologie des populations et des communautés, Masson, Paris.

Barbault R. (1984), «Stratégies de reproduction et démographie de quelques Amphibiens Anoures tropicaux», Oikos, 43, 77 – 87.

Barbault R. (1991), «Ecological constraints and community dynamics: linking community patterns to organismal ecology. The case of tropical herpetofaunas», Acta Oecol., 12, 139 – 163.

Beiswenger R. E. (1975), «Structure and function in aggregations of tadpoles of the American Toad, Bufo americanus», Herpetologica, 31, 222 – 233.

Breden F. and Kelly C. H. (1982), «The effect of conspecific interactions on metamorphosis in Bufo americanus», Ecology, 63, 1682 – 1689.

Dubois A. (1992), «Notes sur la classification des Ranidae (Amphibiens Anoures)», Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Lyon, 61, 305 – 352.

Dunger G. T. (1967), «The lizards and snakes of Nigeria. Part 1: The chameleons of Nigeria», Nigerian Field, 32, 53 – 74.

Eniang E. A., King R., Lea J., Capizzi D., and Luiselli L. (2003), «Trophic niches of four sympatric rainforest anurans from southern Nigeria: Does resource partitioning play a role in structuring the community?» Rev. Ecol. (Terre et Vie), 58, in press.

Geomatics I. (1996), The Assessment of Landuse and Vegetation Changes in Nigeria Between 1978 – 1993/95, Federal Dept. Forestry (FORMECU), Unilag/Beak Consultants and Geomatics Inc., Ontario – Abuja (Nigeria).

Guibe J. and Lamotte M. (1958), «Les Ptychadena (Batraciens, Ranidés) du Cameroun», Bull. Inst. Fond. Afr. Noire, Sér. A, 20, 1448 – 1463.

Lamotte M. (1998), «Panorama d’une faune Ouest-Africaine d’Amphibiens: le peuplement du Mont Nimba», Bull. Soc. Herpetol. France, 87 – 88, 5 – 23.

Lawson D. P. (1993), «The reptiles and amphibians of the Korup National Park Project, Cameroon», Herpetol. Nat. Hist., 1, 27 – 90.

Lawson D. P. (2000), «Local harvest of hingeback tortoises, Kinixys erosa and K. homeana, in southwestern Cameroon», Chel. Cons. Biol., 3, 722 – 729.

Lebreton M. (1999), A Working Checklist of the Herpetofauna of Cameroon, Netherlands Committee for IUCN, Amsterdam.

Luiselli L. (2001), «The ghost of a recent invasion in the reduced feeding rates of spitting cobras during the dry season in a rainforest region of tropical Africa?» Acta Oecol., 22, 311 – 314.

Luiselli L. (2002), «Life-history correlates of suboptimal adaptation to rainforest biota by spitting cobras, Naja nigricollis, from southern Nigeria: comparative evidences with sympatric forest cobras, Naja melanoleuca», Rev. Ecol. (Terre et Vie), 57, 123 – 133.

Luiselli L. (2003), «Comparative abundance and population structure of sympatric Afrotropical tortoises in six rainforest areas: the differential effects of ‘traditional veneration’ and of ‘subsistence hunting’ by local people», Acta Oecol., 24, 157 – 163.

Luiselli L. and Akani G. C. (2002), «An investigation into the composition, complexity and functioning of snake communities in the mangroves of South-Eastern Nigeria», Afr. J. Ecol., 40, 220 – 227.

Luiselli L., Politano E., and Angelici F. M. (2000), «Ecological correlates of the distribution of terrestrial and freshwater chelonians in the Niger Delta, Nigeria: A biodiversity assessment with conservation implications», Rev. Ecol. (Terre et Vie), 55, 3 – 23.

Magurran A. E. (1988), Ecological Diversity and Its Measurement, Croom Helm, London.

Murphy G. I. (1968), «Pattern in life history and the environment», Am. Nat., 102, 391 – 403.

Parker H. W. (1936), «The amphibians of the Mamfe Division, Cameroons. I. Zoogeography and Systematics», Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1936, 135 – 163.

Perret J.-L. (1966), «Les Amphibiens du Cameroun», Zool. Jahrb. (Abt. Syst. Ökol. Geogr. Tiere), 93, 289 – 464.

Pianka E. R. (1966), «Latitudinal gradients in species diversity: a review of concepts», Am. Nat., 100, 33 – 46.

Rödel M.-O. (2000), Herpetofauna of West Africa. Vol. 1. Amphibians of the West African Savanna, Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.

Sanderson I. T. (1936), «The amphibians of the Mamfe Division, Cameroons. II. Ecology of the frogs», Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1936, 165 – 208.

Schiøtz A. (1963), «The Amphibians of Nigeria», Vidensk. Meddr Dansk Naturh. Foren Kbh., 125, 1 – 92.

Schiøtz A. (1964), «The voices of some West African Amphibians», Vidensk. Meddr Dansk Naturh. Foren Kbh., 127, 35 – 83.

Schiøtz A. (1999), Treefrogs of Africa, Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.

Spieler M. and Linsenmair K. E. (1999), «Aggregation behaviour of Bufo maculatus tadpoles as an anti-predator mechanism», Ethology, 105, 665 – 686.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2003-10-3-191-198

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.