Silviculture simplifies anuran–prey networks and increases niche partitioning in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Habitat loss due to agricultural expansion is the primary threat to
anurans worldwide. Where natural habitat is converted to monoculture, both
anuran and prey diversity decline. Beyond species loss, land-use change
disrupts species interactions and ecosystem functioning, making it
essential to document how communities reorganize when natural habitats are
replaced by agricultural systems. Here, we investigated how intrusion of
Eucalyptus silviculture into Brazil’s Atlantic Forest impacts anuran
communities, niche partitioning within them, and the structure of
anuran–prey networks. Because Eucalyptus plantations are a biotically and
structurally simplified environment, we predicted the abundance and
diversity of anurans and prey, selectivity of anuran diets, and dietary
niche partitioning among anuran species to be lower in Eucalyptus
plantations, and we predicted the anuran–prey network in Eucalyptus would
have a more connected, non-modular structure. We found that both anuran
and prey abundance was lower in Eucalyptus plantations compared to
neighboring Atlantic Forest fragments. Likewise, anuran diversity was also
reduced in Eucalyptus, but prey diversity was similar between
environments. Contrary to expectation, we found that dietary selectivity
was not affected by land-use change and that niche partitioning and
modularity were significant in the Eucalyptus community, whereas neither
were significant for the Atlantic Forest community. These findings
highlight how land conversion can significantly change the abundance and
diversity of species, driving changes in community composition and
organization.