Herpetology of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia: A biogeographical analysis.
Item
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Title
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Herpetology of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia: A biogeographical analysis.
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Identifier
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AAI9207050
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identifier
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9207050
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Creator
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Bernal-Carlo, Amanda.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Janis Roze
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Date
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1991
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Biology, Ecology
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Abstract
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A comprehensive study of the herpetofauna from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta revealed a total of 132 species represented by 20 genera and 46 species of amphibians and 63 genera and 86 species of reptiles. About 43 species (32.5%) have ranges restricted to the mountain: 26 amphibians (including an endemic genus, Geobatrachus), 12 lizards, and 5 snakes. In the Andean forest, paramo and superparamo, 100% of the species are endemic. Atelopus has 10 endemic species, Eleutherodactylus has 9, and Atractus has 2.;Reptiles, with 70 species, predominate in the lowlands, while amphibians, with 26 species, predominate in the highlands. Diversity is relatively high with an average of 1 or 2 species per genus, and endemism is higher among amphibians than among reptiles. There is an inverse relationship between the number of species of avifauna and herpetofauna and the increasing altitude both in SNSM and in Colombian Andes. This inverse relationship is more accentuated in the SNSM than in the Andes. In SNSM, there are fewer species of amphibians and reptiles in the Andean forest than in the paramo. This suggests a herpetofaunal ecological vacuum in the Andean forest of SNSM that might have originated due to the rapid elevation of the massif or to the temporally variable climatological and ecological conditions. The actual composition of the herpetofauna of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the result of many historical and environmental factors that have provided the arena for the processes of speciation. Most of the species occurring in the highlands have narrow ranges of distribution, and the species of Atelopus, Eleutherodactylus, Anolis and Anadia have undergone a successful adaptive radiation.;The relatively high degree of endemism of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta indicates that its herpetofauna has developed in situ by vicariant processes.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
