Premium
Comunidades de Anfibios y Reptiles de Montaña en Madagascar
Author(s) -
Raxworthy Christopher J.,
Nussbaum Ronald A.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10030750.x
Subject(s) - ecology , montane ecology , climax , biological dispersal , habitat , plateau (mathematics) , geography , amphibian , fauna , biology , population , mathematical analysis , demography , mathematics , sociology
; Two habitats in Madagascar, secondary, montane heathland and high plateau prairie, are considered artificial, having been created by human‐set fires soon after the island was colonized less than 2000 years ago. These prairie and secondary heathland habitats are also thought to be degraded and faunistically depauperate. To test the depauperate fauna hypothesis we measured levels of herpetofaunal (amphibian and reptile) endemicity between primary forest, montane secondary heathland, and high plateau prairie. We found no species endemic to high plateau prairie, but a significant percentage of the montane herpetofauna is restricted to post‐fire secondary heathland. These results support the human‐origin hypothesis for prairie, but secondary heathland appears to be a natural, post‐fire successional stage that leads to a climax of sclero‐phyllous forest. This suggests that careful management of montane heathland could establish new dispersal corridors between currently isolated montane forest blocks and, therefore, could offer new opportunities for conservation in Madagascar. Despite widespread burning, the montane heathlands of Madagascar have diverse herpetofaunal communities, demonstrating that these montane communities are not as seriously degraded as previously believed, and that they may be naturally resistant to fire.