Anuran assemblages and spatial heterogeneity in a paramo ecosystem of Colombia

The present study sought to determine the effect of spatial heterogeneity, a product of the different vegetation mosaics and environmental and structural gradients of the paramo, on the structure of anuran assemblage in a sector of Chingaza National Park. Environmental and structural variables were recorded from aerial photographs taken with a drone in six vegetation mosaics identifying landscape metrics to areas of influence of 50 and 100 m. At the end of 162 hours/person of sampling, we found 45 individuals belonging to four species. The variables mostly related to the structure of anuran assemblages varied with the spatial scale of analysis as follows: (a) at the level of the environmental-structural gradient in the vegetation mosaics (microhabitat scale), the percentage of frailejones, number of trunks of fallen frailejones, air temperature, and wind speed were the most determinant; (b) at the landscape unit level, at an area of influence of 50 m, the effect of the number of classes and in particular, the extent of peatland and peatland vegetation classes was evidenced; and (c) at an area of influence of 100 m scale, the configuration of the landscape units was most important, mainly the extension of the classes of peatland and low scrubs intermixed with pajonal and frailejonal. The results suggest that anurans present a scale-dependent response to spatial heterogeneity, an aspect that should be considered in the protected area's management plans when structuring population monitoring schemes.