Invasive American bullfrogs and African clawed frogs in South America: high suitability of occurrence in biodiversity hotspots

TY - JOUR

T1 - Invasive American bullfrogs and African clawed frogs in South America

T2 - high suitability of occurrence in biodiversity hotspots

AU - Barbosa, Fabiana G.

AU - Both, Camila

AU - Bastos, Miguel

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - 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. The species modeled, Lithobates catesbeianus and Xenopus laevis, have been reported to threaten local faunas in several non-native areas that they invaded, including areas in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. We show that 87.5% of the protected areas within the Atlantic Forest may be most at risk of invasion by L. catesbeianus and X. laevis under current climate conditions, followed by areas in the Cerrado (51.7), Tropical Andes (37.6%), Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena (22.5%), and Chilean Winter Rainfall and Valdivian Forests (20.5%). Conservation plans for these regions should, therefore, consider latent threats from multiple sources including invasion by highly competitive non-native species such as the ones modeled in our study.

AB - 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. The species modeled, Lithobates catesbeianus and Xenopus laevis, have been reported to threaten local faunas in several non-native areas that they invaded, including areas in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. We show that 87.5% of the protected areas within the Atlantic Forest may be most at risk of invasion by L. catesbeianus and X. laevis under current climate conditions, followed by areas in the Cerrado (51.7), Tropical Andes (37.6%), Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena (22.5%), and Chilean Winter Rainfall and Valdivian Forests (20.5%). Conservation plans for these regions should, therefore, consider latent threats from multiple sources including invasion by highly competitive non-native species such as the ones modeled in our study.

KW - Bioclimatic envelope models

KW - Biological invasions

KW - Lithobates catesbeianus

KW - Protected areas

KW - Xenopus laevis

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85029806963&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.6620/ZS.2017.56-28

DO - 10.6620/ZS.2017.56-28

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85029806963

SN - 1021-5506

VL - 56

JO - Zoological Studies

JF - Zoological Studies

M1 - 28

ER -