The influence of habitat characteristics on amphibian species richness in two river basins of Romania
Figure 1. The percentage of pond occupancy of the amphibian species in the two regions. The data for permanent and temporary ponds are pooled.Abstract
We present the distribution and aquatic habitat use of amphibian communities in two river basins of Transylvania (Romania) on a medium spatial scale; the middle section of Târnava Mare Valley and the Upper section of the Olt Valley. We used between 13 and 15 variables to characterize the breeding ponds and their surrounding terrestrial areas. A total number of 14 amphibian species and a species complex were identifi ed in the two areas. In Târnava, the average species richness is larger in permanent ponds than in temporary ones. No signifi cant differences were found between the species richness in permanent and temporary ponds in Ciuc. In permanent ponds of both areas the presence of high traffi c roads in the vicinity (i.e. within an 800 m radius) explained more of the variation in species richness than the other habitat factors, whereas the presence of dirt roads accounted for the highest variation in species richness in temporary ponds.
Mirela G. Tulbure
Professor
I am an Associate Professor with the Center for Geospatial Analytics at North Carolina State University (NCSU).