Abstracts - Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft

Ecology Symposium 61O EC.17 (Mo) - DETropical tadpole communities: distribution patterns and assembly rulesAxel Strauß 1 , Roger-Daniel Randrianiaina 1 , Erik Reeve 1 , Meike Teschke 2 , Miguel Vences 1 , JulianGlos 31Zoological Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig; 2 Max Planck Institute for EvolutionaryBiology, Plön; 3 Zoological Institute, University of HamburgSpecies-rich communities are of high interest to scientists and conservationists. This is in particulartrue if they consist of functionally and quantitatively important parts of the ecosystem, such as tropicalfrogs. A significant stage of the life history of frogs is the larval stage (tadpole), but many tropicaltadpoles are not known to science and knowledge about their ecology is even scarcer. Large-scalefield studies on diverse tadpole communities have so far been limited by identification possibilities.By combining intensive field sampling with efficient molecular identification methods, we now establishedthe means to tackle essential questions of community ecology in diverse tropical tadpoleassemblages. We studied communities in Ranomafana National Park, a rain forest in Madagascarthat is listed as a hotspot of amphibian diversity with >120 species. We raised the following questions:(A) What are the patterns of species composition, diversity, and community structure at thescale of species, ecomorphological groups, and functional groups? (B) What are the factors thatdetermine these patterns? We sampled 32 streams for tadpoles and associated aquatic fauna, and collecteddetailed environmental data. We used DNA barcoding to identify the collected specimens. Usingmultivariate statistics we analysed species-environment associations on two geographical scalesand examined the influence of predators on tadpole distribution patterns.O EC.18 (Mo) - ENSensitivity of reptiles to habitat disturbance in the tropical dry forestJulian Glos 1 , Anselme Toto Volahy 2 , Robert Bourou 2 , Jonah Ratsimbazafy 2 , Joanna Durbin 2 ,Richard Young 21Ökologie & Naturschutz, Universität Hamburg; 2 Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, MadagascarThe natural habitats of Madagascar are being lost at a very high rate, especially the deciduous dryforest in the west of the island. Menabe Central, our study site, is one of the largest remainingblocks of this dry forest in Madagascar and an important site for biodiversity conservation. Reptilesform a diverse (> 50 species) and ecologically important group in this habitat, but have often beenneglected in studies on conservation issues. We investigated the effects of forest disturbance (e.g.timber harvest, collecting of fuel wood) on key properties of reptile communities. In order to do this,we assessed species-habitat associations by quantitatively recording reptiles on 28 transects (each1 km) along a disturbance gradient in the forest and by recording detailed habitat variables for eachtransect. Using multivariate statistics we analysed the effects of habitat disturbance on diversity,composition and structure, and on the functional diversity of reptile communities. Furthermore weinvestigated whether morphological, phylogenetical and/or ecological-functional factors predisposefor the sensitivity of reptile species to disturbance in Western Madagascar.