Bunchgrasses<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n \n0.176\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n \n0.050\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n \n\u00a0<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\nDiscussions<\/u><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\nThe abundance of amphibians in the Andean highlands of Ecuador seems to be related to the microhabitats present within the ecosystem, where the areas of bunchgrasses and marshes can positively influence the increase of amphibian individuals.\n<\/p>\n \nThe high Andean zones are characterized by abiotic variables that define the development of the life forms that inhabit these ecosystems. Low atmospheric pressure, desiccant winds, clarity of the atmosphere, high levels of radiation and the perpendicularity of the sun\u2019s rays are the main characteristics found in the Andes above 3000 m a.s.l. [15]. Both plant and animal species of the high Andes have developed unique adaptations that allow them to withstand these abiotic variables.\n<\/p>\n \nBunchgrasses is a plant form typical and the most highly distributed of the high Andes. This could explain that it has a high significance in the abundance of amphibians. Being a widely distributed microhabitat, bunchgrasses provide a greater opportunity for refuge for the amphibians that inhabit the Andes. In addition, bunchgrasses are usually plant formations that can reach up to 1.5 m. This height, allows the bunchgrasses to develop adaptation strategies to withstand extremely cold temperatures, creating microclimates around them that prevent their freezing at night [16]. The amphibians could take advantage of this microclimate to ensure their survival also on nights with temperatures below zero.\n<\/p>\n \nOne aspect that organisms use to choose a microhabitat to survive is their reproductive mode [17]. Five of the six registered species belong to the genus Pristimantis<\/em>. This genus of amphibians, during the reproductive cycle, deposit the eggs in the soil, under grasses or leaf litter, and its development is direct, that is, there is no tadpole stage [18] [8]. Due to this characteristic, these species are not linked to water bodies. However, although this genus of amphibians does not depend on rivers or ponds to reproduce, if they need high levels of humidity to ensure the survival of their eggs [19]. Marshes provide a microhabitat with high levels of humidity and low vegetation, which would facilitate the birth of the individuals and their survival until the adult stage.\n<\/p>\n\nForests and shrubs were not significant during our analysis. In the Andes, tree formations tend to appear scattered and very isolated [20]. In Ecuador, these arboreal formations called patches are usually made up of trees of the genus Polylepis<\/em>. Although our analysis does not show a relationship with amphibian abundance, Polylepis<\/em> patches can have a barrier effect against abiotic variables, as was shown in studies in the high Andes of Colombia [21].\u00a0 The lack of use of this microhabitat by amphibians may not only be linked to the low presence of forest in the Andes but also to the morphology of the amphibian species present in this place. All amphibian species recorded in this work, except for G. <\/em>pseustes<\/em>, belong to a group called Terrarana. This group of amphibians has begun to exploit more terrestrial habits, including the ability to \u201crun\u201d instead of jumping at any threat [22]. Therefore, they are more adapted to live at ground level and cannot obtain many advantages when climbing trees.\n<\/p>\n\nBibliography<\/strong> \n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n \n[1]\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n \nA. 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Morris, \u201cEcological scale and habitat use,\u201d Ecology, <\/em>vol. 68, no. 2, pp. 362-369, 1987.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\u00a0<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The relationship between microhabitat and abundance of amphibians in the highlands of the Andes in Ecuador \u00a0 Abstract In ecology, different scales have been implemented to study the relationship that exists between organisms and their environment. Microhabitat is the smallest one of these scales and can influence the distribution of organisms, like amphibians. In this study, I try to test what relationship exists between the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[121],"tags":[77054],"class_list":["post-253890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-environmental-sciences","tag-relationship-between-microhabitat-and-abundance-of-amphibians-in-the-highlands-of-the-andes-in-ecuador"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glowriters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253890"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glowriters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glowriters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glowriters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glowriters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/glowriters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253890\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glowriters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glowriters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glowriters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |