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Amphibians and reptiles are diversified in the Cerrado biome but have been threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as lack of understanding of their distribution. Therefore, collection and organization of information about species in natural environments are essential for conservation, especially in Protected areas (PAs) and their adjacent zones. We present information about the composition and structure of the herpetofauna from Parque Estadual da Serra de Caldas Novas (PESCAN) and its representativeness in comparison to other PAs in the Cerrado. Fieldwork was conducted in 12 sampling sites from February 2009 to February 2010, using active search and pitfall traps. We recorded 41 species of amphibians, with greatest richness in sites with open vegetation and water bodies. Reptiles were represented by 32 species, with the greatest species richness in cerrado open environments. Both amphibian and reptile communities were more similar to those from geographically closer PAs and located in the central region of the Cerrado (State of Goiás and Distrito Federal). The PESCAN holds 24.85% and 17.98% of amphibians and reptiles species occurring in Cerrado PAs, respectivelly. This large representativeness and the high number of endemisms (18 amphibians and 7 reptiles) emphasize the importance of the PESCAN, together with other PAs, for the maintenance of regional biodiversity. In addition, we also encourage researches evaluating amphibian and reptile communities outside PAs, such as legal reserves, and we suggest new approaches to study the biodiversity of protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Rampant deforestation has caused the loss and fragmentation of natural habitats, which has precipitated a global biodiversity crisis. Research on how land-use change contributes to a loss of biodiversity is urgently needed, especially in ecosystems that have undergone rapid anthropogenic changes. We sought to investigate the extent to which habitat loss, fragmentation, and habitat split (the separation of forest and aquatic habitats) negatively influenced taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, total abundance, and the individual abundances of five anuran species in the Brazilian Cerrado. We sampled anurans between December 2017 and March 2018 using pitfall traps at sites distributed along a gradient of habitat fragmentation/habitat split: unfragmented forest, forest fragments without habitat split, and forest fragments with habitat split. Forest cover was measured within a 1-km radius of each site. Sites within unfragmented forests had higher taxonomic and functional diversities than either fragment type. Taxonomic diversity was highly correlated with functional diversity, but we did not find a pattern to the loss of functional traits. Total anuran abundance and the abundances of Chiasmocleis albopunctata , Physalaemus cuvieri, and Rhinella diptycha were higher in unfragmented forests compared to forest fragments. No species was more abundant in fragments than in unfragmented forests. Our results indicate that the fragmentation of forests by agricultural land use is directly and indirectly responsible for the loss of taxonomic and functional diversity, as well as for reducing population sizes of ground-dwelling anurans. Although we did not find a distinct effect of habitat split on ground-dwelling anurans, our study underscores the importance of preserving continuous forest habitats for the maintenance of anuran diversity in the Cerrado. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the death-feigning behavior also known as thanatosis strategy observed in the Ischnocnema aff. henselii which is a nocturnal anurans. Topics include the use of selective pressures among amphibians as defensive behavior against predator interaction and the field surveys where in frogs remained motionless with belly up, arms upward and eyes closed with yellowish colour observed by researchers in Araucaria plateau in southern Brazil.

This study analyzed the parasitism by Clinostomum sp. metacercariae of the neotropical fish Cichlasoma paranaense (Kullander 1983) and environmental variables' influence on their host-parasite relationship in Central Brazil. Fish were collected in five impoundments (I) from three towns: Itauçú (n = 2), Inhumas (n = 1), and Goiânia (n = 2), Goiás State, Brazil. Ninety-five fish were analyzed, weighted and length measured. Afterward, the presence of metacercariae in the gills, muscles, fins, and body cavities was investigated. The metacercariae were fixed in AFA solution, kept in 70% alcohol, and stained with carmine. The infection prevalence revealed that 0.64, 0.56 and 0.91% of fish was infected. The abundance was 4.14, 3.22 and 5.88, with a mean intensity of 6.44, 5.80 and 6.42 per impoundment (I 13, I 15 and I 16), respectively. The frequency of metacercariae was higher in fish collected in Goiânia. High frequency of parasites was observed in the gills, muscles, and fins. The limnological variables did not present direct interference in the parasitism. The fish' standard length influenced the number of metacercariae positively but did not differ to the relative condition coefficient.