How the abiotic factors affect the ecology of amphibians.

Abiotic factors influence the reproductive behavior of anurans. Although temperature and precipitation are the most studied, atmospheric pressure seems to be the only factor that indicates the predictability of meteorological changes in the near future. It is, therefore, likely to be perceived by anurans that initiate reproduction before rainfall. The anurans were monitored in the Municipality of Bocaina de Minas, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, encompassing part of the Serra da Mantiqueira in the upper basins of Rio Preto and Rio Grande. Our objectives included analyzing species distribution by altimetry, determining the similarity of active species between river basins, testing the hypothesis that species within a river basin tend to vocalize in association, establishing the probability of species encounter in the sampling, categorizing the species’ constancy and dominance, analyzing the influence of temperature, relative humidity, rainfall and barometric pressure on the species’ vocal activity, and constructing a climogram to illustrate the range of these variables associated with the optimal, tolerant and rare occurrence of vocal activity. Of the 52 species sampled, 28 were common to both river basins. When categorizing species constancy, only eight species were constant, 18 were accessory, and 26 were accidental. Four species were classified as dominant, 43 as subdominant, and 22 as recessive. When analyzing the influence of abiotic factors on the reproductive activity of the local anuran community, the dominant predictive climatic factor is barometric pressure, followed by relative humidity, temperature, and rainfall.