L’herpetofauna de la comunitat de San Rafael, Perú. Caracterització de la comunitat d'amfibis de la selva Amazona Peruana

Abstract

Herpetology is the science that studies the taxonomic groups of amphibians and reptiles. Herpetofauna is very sensitive to anthropic effects, especially habitat loss. For this reason, a large part of the species that make up these groups are experiencing a decline. One of the areas with the highest diversity of these species worldwide is the Amazon. This study will focus on a "rural" community in the Loreto region, Peru. This region hosts 232 species of amphibians and 182 species of reptiles recognized by science. Despite its high diversity and conservation interest, the area is subject to high anthropic pressures that endanger resident biodiversity. This undergraduate thesis aims to create an inventory of the herpetological fauna of the San Rafael community in the Loreto region of Peru and to assess the effect of habitat loss on the distribution of herpetofauna species, i.e., whether there is an effect along an anthropic gradient. To achieve this goal, field data has been collected using three zones with different levels of anthropic activity: the anthropic zone (the community itself), the roadside, and the reserve, ordered from most to least anthropized, respectively. Nine transects were conducted using visual encounter surveys methodology. This data collection allowed the creation of a database of registered individuals and their ecological characteristics to interpret the results. Forty-nine species have been recorded and identified. Of these species, nineteen are reptiles, with ten found in the anthropic zone, thirteen along the roadside, and eleven in the reserve. Thirty of the identified species are amphibians, with fifteen found in the anthropic zone, fourteen along the roadside, and nineteen in the reserve. The distribution of these species has been correlated with the vegetation cover of the studied areas, demonstrating a gradient of anthropic effect on the distribution of the herpetological fauna of the San Rafael community