Something is not quite right: effects of two land uses on anuran diversity in subtropical grasslands

Although habitat modification is considered one of the main
causes of biodiversity loss, the relative contribution of different rural
land uses to biodiversity conservation are far less known. Additionally,
the realization of the multidimensionality of biodiversity demands studies
integrating variation of functional traits and phylogenetic information as
complements to address the effects of land use on the structure of animal
communities. Herein, we investigated the effects of land use (i.e.,
intensive agricultural and extensive livestock rearing) on functional and
phylogenetic diversity of anuran communities in farmland ponds from the
Uruguayan savanna ecoregion, while considering the effects of local factors
(i.e., water depth) on species composition. We surveyed adults and tadpoles
in 22 ponds and quantified five traits related to tadpole feeding, habitat
use, and predator avoidance. Tadpole identification was corroborated by DNA
barcoding based on a fragment of the mitochondrial 16...