Herpetofauna de la Estación de Biodiversidad Tiputini, Amazonía Ecuatoriana

Over a period of four-years, I studied the herpetofauna of the Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS), Ecuadorian Amazonia. I applied six survey methods in conjunction (Inventory Multiple Methods) to determine the composition of species of amphibians and reptiles. With the anurans, I examined morphological and ecological data, and found patterns of strong relationships among the use of resources such as diet, microhabitat and activity, and the families of anurans. These patterns suggest an important role of phylogeny through the development of structures of the modern communities of amphibians. The use of the Inventory Multiple Methods led to a bigger efficiency; I register 90% of the total herpetofauna in the first forty-days of sampling. The herpetofauna of TBS is one of the most diverse on Earth, and it is the site with the highest alpha diversity of amphibians in the world.