TY - JOUR
T1 - Melanesia holds the world's most diverse and intact insular amphibian fauna
AU - Oliver, Paul M
AU - Bower, Deborah S
AU - McDonald, Peter J
AU - Kraus, Fred
AU - Luedtke, Jennifer
AU - Neam, Kelsey
AU - Hobin, Louise
AU - Chauvenet, Alienor L M
AU - Allison, Allen
AU - Arida, Evy
AU - Clulow, Simon
AU - Günther, Rainer
AU - Nagombi, Elizah
AU - Tjaturadi, Burhan
AU - Travers, Scott L
AU - Richards, Stephen J
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022. The Author(s).
Funding Information:
All authors acknowledge the traditional custodians of lands in Melanesia, who have permitted, enabled and supported research on amphibians over many decades. Financial and logistic support of the IUCN assessment workshops was provided by Zoos Victoria, Amphibian Ark, Synchronicity Earth and Re:wild (formerly Global Wildlife Conservation), and workshops were hosted by the Port Moresby Nature Park and Queensland Museum. SLT was funded by National Science Foundation Grants HIH-K12GM093854, NSF DEB01701952 and NSF DEB-1557053. PMO and ALMC were supported by Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University. We also acknowledge the seminal and lasting contributions of three recently passed luminaries of Melanesian frog research: James Menzies (1928–2022); Richard Zweifel (1926–2019); and Michael Tyler (1937–2020).
Funding Information:
All authors acknowledge the traditional custodians of lands in Melanesia, who have permitted, enabled and supported research on amphibians over many decades. Financial and logistic support of the IUCN assessment workshops was provided by Zoos Victoria, Amphibian Ark, Synchronicity Earth and Re:wild (formerly Global Wildlife Conservation), and workshops were hosted by the Port Moresby Nature Park and Queensland Museum. SLT was funded by National Science Foundation Grants HIH-K12GM093854, NSF DEB01701952 and NSF DEB-1557053. PMO and ALMC were supported by Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University. We also acknowledge the seminal and lasting contributions of three recently passed luminaries of Melanesian frog research: James Menzies (1928–2022); Richard Zweifel (1926–2019); and Michael Tyler (1937–2020).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Identifying hotspots of biological diversity is a key step in conservation prioritisation. Melanesia-centred on the vast island of New Guinea-is increasingly recognised for its exceptionally species-rich and endemic biota. Here we show that Melanesia has the world's most diverse insular amphibian fauna, with over 7% of recognised global frog species in less than 0.7% of the world's land area, and over 97% of species endemic. We further estimate that nearly 200 additional candidate species have been discovered but remain unnamed, pointing to a total fauna in excess of 700 species. Nearly 60% of the Melanesian frog fauna is in a lineage of direct-developing microhylids characterised by smaller distributions than co-occurring frog families, suggesting lineage-specific high beta diversity is a key driver of Melanesian anuran megadiversity. A comprehensive conservation status assessment further highlights geographic concentrations of recently described range-restricted threatened taxa that warrant urgent conservation actions. Nonetheless, by world standards, the Melanesian frog fauna is relatively intact, with 6% of assessed species listed as threatened and no documented extinctions; and thus it provides an unparalleled opportunity to understand and conserve a megadiverse and relatively intact insular biota.
AB - Identifying hotspots of biological diversity is a key step in conservation prioritisation. Melanesia-centred on the vast island of New Guinea-is increasingly recognised for its exceptionally species-rich and endemic biota. Here we show that Melanesia has the world's most diverse insular amphibian fauna, with over 7% of recognised global frog species in less than 0.7% of the world's land area, and over 97% of species endemic. We further estimate that nearly 200 additional candidate species have been discovered but remain unnamed, pointing to a total fauna in excess of 700 species. Nearly 60% of the Melanesian frog fauna is in a lineage of direct-developing microhylids characterised by smaller distributions than co-occurring frog families, suggesting lineage-specific high beta diversity is a key driver of Melanesian anuran megadiversity. A comprehensive conservation status assessment further highlights geographic concentrations of recently described range-restricted threatened taxa that warrant urgent conservation actions. Nonetheless, by world standards, the Melanesian frog fauna is relatively intact, with 6% of assessed species listed as threatened and no documented extinctions; and thus it provides an unparalleled opportunity to understand and conserve a megadiverse and relatively intact insular biota.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85141890646&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s42003-022-04105-1
DO - 10.1038/s42003-022-04105-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 36333588
SN - 2399-3642
VL - 5
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Communications biology
JF - Communications biology
IS - 1
M1 - 1182
ER -