Influence of damming on anuran species richness in riparian areas: a test of the serial discontinuity concept

1. Almost all large rivers worldwide are fragmented by dams, and their impacts have been modelled using the serial discontinuity concept (SDC), a series of predictions regarding responses of key biotic and abiotic variables. 2. We evaluated the effects of damming on anuran communities along a 245-km river corridor by conducting repeated, time-constrained anuran calling surveys at 42 locations along the Broad and Pacolet Rivers in South Carolina, USA. 3. Using a hierarchical Bayesian analysis, we test the biodiversity prediction of the SDC (modified for floodplain rivers) by evaluating anuran occupancy and species diversity relative to dams and degree of urbanized land-use. 4. The mean response of the anuran community indicated that occupancy and species richness were maximized when sites were farther downstream from dams. Sites at the farthest distances downstream of dams (47.5 km) had an estimated ~ 3 more species than those just below dams. Similarly, species-specific occupancy estima...