Amphibian and Reptile Diversity in Modified Forest Ecosystems

Amphibians and reptiles are integral to forest ecosystem function yet are highly sensitive to changes in habitat structure and microclimate. Across the globe, forests modified by logging, selective harvesting, plantation establishment or conversion to agriculture create a mosaic of habitats that may sustain or erode local and regional biodiversity. While some generalist species exploit novel niches in secondary and plantation forests, many taxa with narrow environmental tolerances, specialised life histories or restricted geographic ranges decline dramatically. Altered habitats often exhibit elevated local diversity through invasion by widespread disturbance-tolerant species, but this can mask regional losses and biotic homogenisation. Understanding how taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic dimensions of diversity respond to different management intensities, landscape configurations and microhabitat features is essential for reconciling production landscapes with the long-term conservation of herpetofauna.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have revealed that local amphibian richness can increase in agricultural sites compared with undisturbed forests, yet this apparent gain corresponds with reduced species turnover and a marked loss of regionally endemic lineages. In Rwanda, farmland communities exhibited higher alpha diversity than natural forest but were dominated by widespread, disturbance-tolerant frogs. Low beta diversity among agricultural sites led to substantial declines in gamma diversity, particularly for unique evolutionary and functional traits. Similarly, work in a lowland tropical rainforest in the Philippines has shown that leaf-litter and semi-aquatic amphibian assemblages respond strongly to gradients of habitat alteration. Canopy and understorey density, tree diameter and temperature emerged as key predictors of species composition, with stream habitats supporting forest specialists and open areas favouring generalists. These findings underscore the need to maintain structural habitat complexity and connectivity within managed landscapes to safeguard both abundant and rare amphibian species.

Amphibian and Reptile Diversity in Modified Forest Ecosystems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in amphibian and reptile diversity in modified forest ecosystems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Alpha diversity: The number of species recorded within a single community or site, reflecting local species richness.

Beta diversity: The variation in species composition among communities, indicating the degree of turnover between sites.

Gamma diversity: The total diversity of species across a landscape or region, integrating both local richness and between-site turnover.

Functional diversity: The range and value distribution of species’ ecological traits within a community, linked to ecosystem processes.

Phylogenetic diversity: The evolutionary relatedness among species in a community, representing the breadth of lineages present.

Habitat homogenisation: The process by which distinct communities become more similar in species composition, often due to widespread disturbance-tolerant taxa.

Agroforestry: A land-use system combining trees or shrubs with crops or livestock, aimed at sustaining productivity and biodiversity.

References

1. Matrix-protection rather than protected area conservation can safeguard multilevel amphibian diversity in Colombian agroforestry systems. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment (2025).
2. Elevated alpha diversity in disturbed sites obscures regional decline and homogenization of amphibian taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. Scientific Reports (2023).
3. Differential responses of amphibians and reptiles to land‐use change in the biodiversity hotspot of north‐eastern Madagascar. Animal Conservation (2021).
4. Impact of habitat alteration on amphibian diversity and species composition in a lowland tropical rainforest in Northeastern Leyte, Philippines. Scientific Reports (2020).
5. Global effects of forest modification on herpetofauna communities. Conservation Biology (2022).