Special Issue "Conserving Reptiles and Amphibians"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jesse Grismer
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, La Sierra University, 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, CA 92505, USA
Interests: reptiles; amphibians; genetics; taxonomy; conservation; biogeography, functional morphology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reptiles and amphibians are among the most threatened groups of vertebrates, and they are facing multiple conservation challenges in many areas of the world. The detriment to reptiles and amphibian diversity generally comes from poaching for the pet trade, habitat destruction, rising global temperatures, infectious diseases, and invasive species.

Sadly, given their cryptic nature and social reputation among the general public, reptiles and amphibians usually receive little media attention. In some cases, vulnerable species can miss out on funding opportunities for conservation efforts. Given these issues, it is important to examine areas of the world that are combating conservation crises and discussing successful conservation programs. This often creates insights and can help other management strategies with similar species in other areas of the world.

Within reptiles and amphibians, turtles and frogs have the most threatened or endangered species, and in North and South America, the chytrid fungus is decimating amphibian populations. However, massive breeding programs, public outreach with local officials, and raising social awareness have been helping save many populations, even leading to some successful reintroductions. In various parts of Asia, certain species of turtles have cultural significance and are used in many traditional medicine practices. This along with habitat destruction has resulted in South and Southeast Asia and Indochina having the majority of endangered or threatened turtle species.

Exploration and discovery of new species is a key component in helping conserving ecosystems. Unfortunately, publications of these new species are used as collection guides by animal poachers. These commercial collectors impact populations by collecting massive numbers of individuals and have even caused some species of lizards to go extinct from their type localities. Squamates tend to be the biggest victims of poaching, and there needs to be a communal discussion on the best practices when describing new species that will be attractive to animal poachers.

Lastly, growing human populations and the urbanization of habitat, combined with climate change, are contributing a unique set of challenges for species management. Rising global temperatures over the next 50 to 100 years will have an impact on many amphibian and other moisture-dependent species. These rising temperatures, along with droughts, could cause a reduction in habitats that have enough moisture to sustain these species, particularly at higher elevations and latitudes.

Original manuscripts that address any aspects of reptile and amphibian conservation are invited for this Special Issue. Topics of special interest are taxonomy, genetics, infectious disease, climate change, and invasive species. Discussion of threats to regional herpetofauna and examples of successful conservation programs are also welcomed.

Dr. Jesse Grismer
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • reptiles
  • amphibians
  • conservation
  • climate change
  • poaching
  • invasive species
  • taxonomy

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Update on Distribution and Conservation Status of Amphibians in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea: Conclusions Based on Field Surveys, Environmental Modelling, Molecular Analyses and Call Properties
Animals 2021, 11(7), 2057; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11072057 - 09 Jul 2021
Viewed by 922
Abstract
Determining the range, status, ecology and behaviour of species from areas where surveys and samplings are uncommon or difficult to conduct is a challenge, such as in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea). Here, we used genetic samples, field surveys, call [...] Read more.
Determining the range, status, ecology and behaviour of species from areas where surveys and samplings are uncommon or difficult to conduct is a challenge, such as in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea). Here, we used genetic samples, field surveys, call recordings, photographic identification and a literature review to estimate the presence, range and status of amphibians in the DPR Korea. From our combined results and based on the IUCN Red List categories and criteria, we were able to estimate the national threat levels for most species. Our results demonstrated the presence of 18 native species and the suspected presence of Karsenia koreana and two Onychodactylus species. We reported the first record for Rana uenoi in the vicinity of Pyongyang using molecular tools and similarly confirmed the presence of Dryophytes japonicus at the same location. Based on distribution and modelling, we can expect the contact zone between species within the Rana and Onychodactylus genera to be located along the Changbai Massif, a mountain range that marks a shift in ecoregions and acts as a barrier to dispersion. The species richness was higher in the lowlands and at lower latitudes, with such areas populated by up to 11 species, while more northern regions were characterised by species richness of about half of that value. The combination of ecological models and known threats resulted in the recommendation of ten species as threatened at the national level following the IUCN Red List categories and criteria. This high number of threatened species was anticipated based on the high threat level to amphibians in bordering nations and globally. While the ecology of species in the DPR Korea is still understudied, we argue that species relying on agricultural wetlands such as rice paddies are not under imminent threat due to the enduring presence of extensive agricultural landscapes with low rates of chemical use and mechanisation. The maintenance of such landscapes is a clear benefit to amphibian species, in contrast to more industrialised agricultural landscapes in neighbouring nations. In comparison, the status of species dependent on forested habitats is unclear and threat levels are likely to be higher because of deforestation, as in neighbouring nations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conserving Reptiles and Amphibians)
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