Influence of microhabitat on the distribution of tadpoles of three endemic Nyctibatrachus species (Nyctibatrachidae) from the Western Ghats, India

Amphibians show a high amount of species richness and endemism. Such diversity can be attributed to their microenvironment as amphibians display fine-scale heterogeneity depending on the microhabitats they inhabit. Tadpoles are considered as good indicators for understanding microhabitat-species association as they reflect the breeding sites and signify species survival potential. In this study, we assessed the microhabitat factors influencing the distribution of tadpoles of three endemic frogs of the genus Nyctibatrachus namely N. jog, N. kempholeyensis, and N. kumbara from central Western Ghats, India.  Forty-three streams were sampled from three river basins and stream characteristics were analysed using Generalized Linear Models. The results indicate that the tadpoles show specific microhabitat preferences and spatial niche partitioning. Among microhabitat variables, the slope significantly influenced the distribution of tadpoles of N. jog and N. kempholeyensis. The tadpoles of N. j...两栖动物（Amphibians）具有极高的物种丰富度与特有性。这类多样性可归因于其微生境特性：两栖动物会根据所栖息的微生境呈现出精细尺度的异质性分布格局。蝌蚪被视作解析微生境-物种关联的理想指示生物，因其能够反映物种的繁殖位点，并体现种群的存活潜力。本研究针对印度西高止山脉（Western Ghats）中部的3种特有蛙类——夜蛙属（Nyctibatrachus）的N. jog、N. kempholeyensis与N. kumbara——展开调研，评估影响其蝌蚪分布的微生境因子。研究共从3个流域采集了43条溪流的样本，并通过广义线性模型（Generalized Linear Models）对溪流特征开展分析。研究结果表明，此类蝌蚪具有特定的微生境偏好与空间生态位分化特征。在各类微生境变量中，坡度对N. jog与N. kempholeyensis的蝌蚪分布具有显著影响。而N. j...