Understory frog communities recover quickly during tropical forest regeneration

This dataset contains plot-level data on understory frog communities sampled along a forest regeneration chronosequence in the lowland Chocó forest near Hoja Blanca, Esmeraldas province, northwestern Ecuador. Sampling was conducted within and around the privately managed Canandé (14,000 ha) and Tesoro Escondido (1,800 ha) reserves. A total of 38 plots (50 × 50 m; 2,500 m²) were established across a mosaic landscape, including active pastures (n = 6), active cacao plantations (n = 6), regenerating forests following pasture or cacao abandonment (0–37 years; n = 18), and old-growth forest (n = 8). Plots ranged from 159 to 615 m a.s.l. Regeneration time was determined from local land-use history records and reserve acquisition data. Understory frogs were surveyed using standardized visual encounter surveys with two person-hours per plot per visit. Each plot was sampled six times between March 2022 and June 2023, including both day and night sessions. Species abundances were pooled across vi..., Study area and sampling design
Fieldwork was conducted in the lowland Chocó forest near Hoja Blanca, Esmeraldas province, northwestern Ecuador, within and around the privately managed Canandé (14,000 ha) and Tesoro Escondido (1,800 ha) reserves (0.52°N, 79.2°W; 130–615 m a.s.l.). The landscape consists of a mosaic of old-growth forest, secondary forests of different ages, pastures, and cacao plantations.
A total of 38 plots (50 × 50 m; 2,500 m²) were established following a space-for-time substitution approach (chronosequence). Plots were distributed across active pastures (n = 6), active cacao plantations (n = 6), regenerating forests after pasture or cacao abandonment (0–37 years; n = 18), and old-growth forest (n = 8). Regeneration time for secondary forests was determined from local land-use history records and reserve acquisition information. Old-growth forest plots were not assigned a regeneration age.
Plots were spatially distributed as widely as possible within habitat categorie..., , # Data from: Understory frog communities recover quickly during tropical forest regeneration

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.k0p2ngfj9](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.k0p2ngfj9)

## Description of the data and file structure

The dataset was collected in the lowland Chocó forest, northwestern Ecuador, across a forest regeneration gradient using a chronosequence approach. A total of 38 plots (2,500 m² each) were established in a mosaic landscape that included active pastures, cacao plantations, regenerating forests (1 - 37 years), and old-growth forests. Each plot was visited six times during three sampling rounds (March–June 2022, July–October 2022, and March–June 2023). Each round consisted of both day and night sessions.

Systematic visual searches were conducted for two person-hours per plot, focusing on understory frogs from the leaf litter to vegetation up to 1.2 meters in height. Frogs encountered were captured, identified to species using field guides and online resources, and rel...,