Amphibian diversity across three adjacent ecosystems in Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Amphibian species richness in the Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), Costa Rica, has declined by 45% since the late 1980s, coinciding with global amphibian population declines. Rainforest ecosystems within ACG exhibit significantly higher amphibian diversity than dry forests, with up to three times more species. This study compared contemporary data from five sites—Murciélago, Santa Rosa, Maritza, San Gerardo, and Cacao—to historic records from 1987-88, revealing stark differences in biodiversity. ACG's unique compression of tropical ecosystems into a small protected area offers an unprecedented opportunity to study the resilience—or lack thereof—of these habitats to climate change and disease. The findings underscore the urgent need for conservation efforts to address ecosystem-level vulnerabilities.

Edwards, A. W., Harrison, X. A., Smith, M. A., Chavarría Díaz, M. M., Sasa, M., Janzen, D. H., Hallwachs, W., Chaves, G., Fernández, R., Palmer, C., Wilson, C., North, A., & Puschendorf, R. (2023). Amphibian diversity across three adjacent ecosystems in Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica. PeerJ, 11, e16185. Portico. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16185