Os anfíbios da restinga de Grumari, RJ, Brasil, e a comunidade de folhiço em duas zonas arbóreas

Abstract

Although restinga habitats represent approximately 5000 km of the Brazilian coast, the information available about the composition of the anuran fauna present on those habitats are restricted to relatively few areas. Nowadays restinga habitats are under intense set of pressures as result of a demographic density five times higher than the average for the country leading to the occupation, degradation and eventual loss of such habitats. This is especially alarming for the threatened endemic populations of terrestrial vertebrates due to the difficulty of vegetation recovery after clearings. Presently, the remnants of these habitats along much of the eastern Brazilian coast are represented by completely isolated fragments. Herein we present the first approximation to the list of the amphibians from the restinga of Grumari, inserted in the Parque Natural Municipal de Grumari (PNMG), municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro state, southeastern Brazil. The area is situated in the Atlantic Rainforest Biome. It s also the first study on the community of litter anuran fauna, obtaining density data, for the Brazilian restinga. The study was carried out from May 2009 to December 2010 using two sampling methods: quadrant plots (4x4 m) and acoustic/visual transects. We recorded 22 species of anuran amphibians distributed in six families: Leptodactylidae (3), Craugastoridae (1), Bufonidae (1), Strabomantidae (1), Microhylidae (2) and Hylidae (14). We found ten species of litter frogs in 2560 m² of sampled forest floor with the methodology of large plots. In the closed post-beach zone, there were only seven species of anuran leaf litter, while the restinga forest zone present the ten species recorded for the restinga. The overall density of litter frogs at the restinga of Grumari was 13.1 individuals per 100m², more than five of six published studies on the density of litter frogs in the Atlantic Rainforest. The estimated total biomass was 13131 g/100m², being currently the area with highest litter frog biomass on the planet. There was no statistically significant difference between the zones regarding community parameters (richness, density and biomass), even though there is difference between the environmental parameters measured in both zones. The factors that best explained the richness, density and biomass in the restinga of Grumari during the rainy season were, respectively, temperature, diameter of the trees/shrubs and the number of trees/shrubs. The presence of endangered and endemic species indicates that the restinga of Grumari is an important area for conservation of the anuran fauna in remnants of these habitats in the Rio de Janeiro state, being currently the richest known area in terms of amphibian species of all restinga areas in the state, and the second richest of the Brazilian restingas studied up to now.