Land use around protected areas affects functional diversity, but not species richness in anuran assemblages

Land use around protected areas affects functional diversity, but not species richness in anuran assemblages | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Land use around protected areas affects functional diversity, but not species richness in anuran assemblages Priscila Nascimento Lopes, Lucas Batista Crivellari, Thiago Alves Lopes Oliveira, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820762/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Human-made habitat modifications drive biodiversity loss, especially through land use changes. These modifications impact the structure and diversity of local assemblages, primarily through habitat loss and fragmentation. They can also affect adjacent areas, including protected ones, resulting in connectivity loss between neighboring sites. Our study evaluated how land use influences species richness and functional diversity in amphibian assemblages. Data were collected over 12 monthly expeditions from January 2013 to December 2014. We sampled 81 ponds across eight protected areas and their surroundings in Paraná and Santa Catarina, measuring species abundance and 21 ecomorphological traits. We performed phylogenetic eigenvector regression to control phylogenetic autocorrelation in species traits. We estimated functional diversity as the total branch length of functional dendrograms for species in each assemblage. We use structural equation modelling to estimate the effects of spatial, landscape, land-use and microhabitat variables on species richness, abundance and functional diversity based on a hypothetical causal model. Land use influenced only functional diversity, whereas species richness was primarily shaped by spatial factors and pond structural characteristics. These distinct drivers emphasize the importance of measuring multiple dimensions of diversity to develop effective conservation strategies. South Brazilian Grasslands Atlantic Forest Amphibians Conservation Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Supplementarymaterial.docx TableS9.xlsx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 23 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 18 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 07 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 29 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Oct, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 27 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 24 Oct, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 15 Oct, 2025 First submitted to journal 09 Oct, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7820762","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":537086580,"identity":"fe307617-6764-4dc2-8b4e-84904a27afed","order_by":0,"name":"Priscila Nascimento Lopes","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABE0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACxgYGBgMLIIO5AcSVMwCLgkXwapGAMhgYjA0YmBmgIngBQkviBrAWBtxazKUPN3/4USAhzyDd2Pi4oKIufTt7/9ENQBEG/vbuBGxaLPsS2yR7DCQMG2QONhvPOHM4d2fPYbabQBEGiTNnN2DTYnCGsY0Z6HLGBonENmnetgO5G24ks93gAWoxkMjFpaX5M1DWHqLlX126AVDLzT/4tTRIA2UTIVoamBNAWm7js8WyhxHsl2SgFqBfjh023HDmsNltGQMJHlx+Medhf/zhxx8b2waJ5IOPC2rq5A2ONz67+eaPjRx/ey92h8EY9gcYIBECAzzYlKNoAQFmXKpGwSgYBaNgZAMAumhdRR4bRUAAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Priscila","middleName":"Nascimento","lastName":"Lopes","suffix":""},{"id":537086581,"identity":"55927f3e-e02c-4975-a5f7-0077ac96d1a9","order_by":1,"name":"Lucas Batista Crivellari","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lucas","middleName":"Batista","lastName":"Crivellari","suffix":""},{"id":537086582,"identity":"d04ae054-0766-4823-8fb5-c2773eef354c","order_by":2,"name":"Thiago Alves Lopes Oliveira","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Thiago","middleName":"Alves Lopes","lastName":"Oliveira","suffix":""},{"id":537086583,"identity":"c537b852-1aa1-4168-9339-ea4820ff8e12","order_by":3,"name":"Ricardo J. Sawaya","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal do ABC","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ricardo","middleName":"J.","lastName":"Sawaya","suffix":""},{"id":537086584,"identity":"a671bc64-50d8-49c6-82c3-d0765afc60b8","order_by":4,"name":"Denise Rossa-Feres","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Denise","middleName":"","lastName":"Rossa-Feres","suffix":""},{"id":537086585,"identity":"2489ec96-68c3-4c71-b7dd-1d1806cdb9fd","order_by":5,"name":"Leandro Duarte","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Leandro","middleName":"","lastName":"Duarte","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-09 20:23:16","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820762/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820762/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":95242303,"identity":"281186c9-b213-433a-8c1f-6b0dd462f9c4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":4936939,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscritoPriscilaLopesoct2025.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/a3135cdc9be817e388b5083d.docx"},{"id":95242286,"identity":"5062cc7c-462c-4601-8ca7-ebf876280f7e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":8170,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"20890be39ed34bcea100709908a25d3e.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/b2cce52bbd9dabda2ee7aa45.json"},{"id":95242291,"identity":"9943a2d5-00a0-4a4f-b545-31724d3d942d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":153938,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Supplementarymaterial.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/258d3934556163c4ed13efed.docx"},{"id":95312964,"identity":"c32a99e2-f4d9-4942-b714-7193b6ea6507","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-06 15:50:39","extension":"xlsx","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":26182,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"TableS9.xlsx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/b98cc63dcf57075f95557123.xlsx"},{"id":95242296,"identity":"6e6fe754-d0e8-43c7-8ee7-e77831cbec3a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"xml","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":220737,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"20890be39ed34bcea100709908a25d3e1enriched.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/31e5ed1c4e02aa3a9b10ead9.xml"},{"id":95242290,"identity":"cfccc251-dc96-47dd-b50c-7332a703acd5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"jpeg","order_by":5,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":266122,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/31b559ab31c245e595a1cd3f.jpeg"},{"id":95312862,"identity":"6b9cda05-0c1a-47b3-922b-7c6c4dc85524","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-06 15:50:28","extension":"jpeg","order_by":6,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":935547,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/0a0347eabbce75ff5583a5dd.jpeg"},{"id":95242295,"identity":"ddd22183-2021-41e0-977a-0ddc1e105acd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"jpeg","order_by":7,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":260950,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/eaee84839f822bc3224f1f06.jpeg"},{"id":95242292,"identity":"fed31147-ef18-4c82-9def-a436fed9ccbc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"jpeg","order_by":8,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":304032,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage4.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/04be7b73a1081eb9b588f3a7.jpeg"},{"id":95312500,"identity":"fa8749b9-9c68-4e3d-97e0-a7bd650f56a2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-06 15:49:32","extension":"jpeg","order_by":9,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":263384,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage5.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/5127b9c38a1d6b376e6ee1c3.jpeg"},{"id":95312628,"identity":"67d09581-c213-48b9-86c6-7f003e9f48ae","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-06 15:49:51","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":52854,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/4d525c8b02bb7c58aacdc5fb.png"},{"id":95242301,"identity":"6069b365-bc24-4df6-befd-8eb7cecfc630","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"png","order_by":11,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":642538,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/090d163bb1d030d855c21352.png"},{"id":95242299,"identity":"d549d5a9-09dd-4277-b1c6-74e2e1dd1335","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"png","order_by":12,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":46383,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/7f5c68a5a16cfcd9def961da.png"},{"id":95312938,"identity":"a4ca8edf-fe9e-4433-90f3-c72d3cac3e14","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-06 15:50:38","extension":"png","order_by":13,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":40249,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/a79d70415ee0bc2c66450a1b.png"},{"id":95242300,"identity":"1044c8dd-f253-4b97-a26e-802e982eb2f0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"png","order_by":14,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":55672,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/a9edf6d679393bb971335954.png"},{"id":95242304,"identity":"23d49629-1a63-4d0f-82aa-c75b6d6846cc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:49","extension":"xml","order_by":15,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":217681,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"20890be39ed34bcea100709908a25d3e1structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/86424bab2dfe2a02f541faae.xml"},{"id":95312644,"identity":"ecbd25e5-cda0-4c65-8375-c4bce4a76411","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-06 15:49:55","extension":"html","order_by":16,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":226812,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/e8361a314fd079fd125b5fbf.html"},{"id":95523573,"identity":"4cb8071b-d44e-40cc-bc2e-017fe863097e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-10 09:58:31","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1556021,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscritoPriscilaLopesoct2025.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1_covered_e9cff39c-0e01-46b6-aa8d-b926c94c97c6.pdf"},{"id":95242288,"identity":"18a1668b-2402-4465-ab77-529854e47706","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":153938,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Supplementarymaterial.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/bb4adf7d74f9a051a56199c3.docx"},{"id":95242287,"identity":"1f4c4d3e-d868-4875-b321-c9745fac38bc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 19:39:48","extension":"xlsx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":26182,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"TableS9.xlsx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820762/v1/3aff36ea3d397d80bdc5161e.xlsx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Land use around protected areas affects functional diversity, but not species richness in anuran assemblages","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"biodiversity-and-conservation","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bioc","sideBox":"Learn more about [Biodiversity and Conservation](https://www.springer.com/journal/10531)","snPcode":"10531","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10531/3","title":"Biodiversity and Conservation","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"South Brazilian Grasslands, Atlantic Forest, Amphibians, Conservation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820762/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820762/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eHuman-made habitat modifications drive biodiversity loss, especially through land use changes. These modifications impact the structure and diversity of local assemblages, primarily through habitat loss and fragmentation. They can also affect adjacent areas, including protected ones, resulting in connectivity loss between neighboring sites. Our study evaluated how land use influences species richness and functional diversity in amphibian assemblages. Data were collected over 12 monthly expeditions from January 2013 to December 2014. We sampled 81 ponds across eight protected areas and their surroundings in Paran\u0026aacute; and Santa Catarina, measuring species abundance and 21 ecomorphological traits. We performed phylogenetic eigenvector regression to control phylogenetic autocorrelation in species traits. We estimated functional diversity as the total branch length of functional dendrograms for species in each assemblage. We use structural equation modelling to estimate the effects of spatial, landscape, land-use and microhabitat variables on species richness, abundance and functional diversity based on a hypothetical causal model. Land use influenced only functional diversity, whereas species richness was primarily shaped by spatial factors and pond structural characteristics. These distinct drivers emphasize the importance of measuring multiple dimensions of diversity to develop effective conservation strategies.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Land use around protected areas affects functional diversity, but not species richness in anuran assemblages","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-11-05 19:39:44","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820762/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-02-23T08:40:16+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"73723422077303721363459014241517162531","date":"2026-02-03T03:05:57+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-18T14:46:15+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-07T21:02:06+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"181820940466052189156458889168588784980","date":"2025-10-29T19:06:26+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"121888893747012269844214742248747136916","date":"2025-10-27T12:05:40+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-10-27T08:03:38+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-10-24T14:12:22+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-10-15T05:40:47+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Biodiversity and Conservation","date":"2025-10-09T20:15:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"biodiversity-and-conservation","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bioc","sideBox":"Learn more about [Biodiversity and Conservation](https://www.springer.com/journal/10531)","snPcode":"10531","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10531/3","title":"Biodiversity and Conservation","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d8616651-a040-4212-b12e-e8a5cc6880a7","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 5th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-21T11:55:34+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-11-05 19:39:44","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7820762","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7820762","identity":"rs-7820762","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}