The influence of habitat features on amphibian distribution in Northeastern Greece

Abstract

Environmental and isolation variables relating to abundance of breeding amphibians, species richness and community structure at different spatial scales were examined in the Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park, Evros, Greece. Logistic regression and a generalized linear model were used to relate several habitat characteristics to species occurrence and species richness. The community structure responses to breeding-pond features were examined at four spatial scales using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The richest communities live in low-altitude ponds, with stony or clay bottoms, high solar exposure and abundant submerged and floating vegetation. The CCA models were significant (p < 0.005) and revealed the influence of altitude, percentage of field and broadleaf forest coverage, and number of water bodies on amphibian species assemblages at all four spatial scales. There is a specific need for holistic management of amphibians that will consider habitat connectivity, particularly between aquatic and terrestrial habitats, at a larger, more interconnected scale.

Keywords:

• amphibians
• aquatic and terrestrial habitats
• spatial scales
• community structure

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Hellenic National Agency – Youth in the frame of the Future Capital Project. We are grateful to Dr Panagiota Maragou and Alkis Kafetzis for making suggestions and comments on a first draft of the paper. Dr Ioli Christopoulou and Michael de Courcy Williams made linguistic corrections. We thank our colleagues Mikis Bastian and Gregory Mercier for their field assistance.