The extensive clearing and modification of forests by anthropogenic activities is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Declines of common species are especially concerning because of the potentially large cascading effects they might have on ecosystems. Regrowth of secondary forests may help reverse population declines by restoring habitats to similar conditions prior to land conversion but the value of these secondary forests to fauna is not well understood. We compared the abundance of a direct-developing terrestrial frog, Craugastor stejnegerianus, in riparian and upland habitats of pasture, secondary forest, and mature forest sites. Mean abundance per transect was lower in upland pasture compared to mature forest. Secondary forest had similar abundance to mature forest regardless of age. We show that conversion of forest habitat to pasture represents a conservation threat to this species. However, riparian buffers help mitigate the negative effect of conversion of forest to pasture, and regrowth of secondary forest is an effective management strategy for restoring the abundance of this common leaf-litter species.

The Caatinga is the largest seasonal tropical dry forest with extreme environmental and meteorological conditions. It harbours many phytophysiognomies and vegetational units, but bat fauna is poorly known in many regions. We analysed the structure of bat assemblages by mist-netting during 99 nights in seven habitats throughout six sites in the northeasternmost region of the Caatinga in Rio Grande do Norte State, in the Brazilian northeast. With a sampling effort of 239 665 m2h, we captured 1575 individuals of 31 species of bats. Bat assemblages’ structure and species distribution changed according to the habitat type, and differences in richness, abundance, species composition, and trophic guild representation were found. The frugivore A. planirostris was widespread, and its superabundance hold for all habitats. The distinct array of the most abundant species with several exclusive species in each habitat suggests species- and trophic guild-specific preferences to particular habitats. Differences in the structure of bat assemblages may be driven by each habitat’s vegetational structure and plant composition (e.g., semi-open habitats vs. tall forest stands) that offers distinct exploitable resources (e.g., food and roosts). Finally, we discuss the importance of foraging habitats for the conservation of these unique bat assemblages in the northeasternmost region of the Caatinga dry forest.

Flagship species are those chosen to raise support for broader conservation marketing campaigns and can be used as symbols of the ecosystem services and evolutionary history of particular areas. Thus, flagship species can be employed for the protection of endangered species and threatened ecosystems. Northeastern Michoacán, Mexico, is an important region for amphibian diversity but approximately 40% of its mature forest has been removed. Among northeastern Michoacán amphibians, the use of Ambystoma ordinarium as a flagship species is supported by its co-occurrence with other threatened amphibians along riparian zones. To support this proposal, however, it is important to assess the functional traits and evolutionary history of amphibian species sharing their habitat with A. ordinarium. To evaluate the potential of A. ordinarium as a flagship species, we estimated the functional and phylogenetic diversity of amphibian assemblages in 60 riparian zones. The results showed that amphibian assemblages sharing habitat with A. ordinarium presented higher functional and phylogenetic diversity than those in which this species was absent. These results highlight the potential of A. ordinarium as a flagship species for the protection of associated amphibian species, their functions, and evolutionary history.

Tropical drylands are characterized by extreme environmental conditions that, coupled with anthropogenic habitat degradation, can limit the occurrence of native species. Species that are most sensitive to these pressures may be prone to disappear in the context of climate change. In this study, we evaluated the influence of environmental and anthropogenic variables on the occurrence of large mammals and birds at the Tatacoa Desert, an arid region in central Colombia. We tested the relationship between the magnitude of the species’ responses to environmental, human-related variables and to body mass, and percentage of carnivory. Overall, we found a positive association between forest cover and the occupancy of the largest mammals (> 8kg), negative associations between solar radiation and human footprint with individual species occupancy, and a positive association of species occupancy with distance to touristic sites. Our results suggest that the largest and/or more carnivore species may be affected positively by forest cover and negatively by intense solar radiation highlighting the consequences of the increasing process of desertification on large mammals and birds at the upper Magdalena River basin of Colombia under the current scenario of global climate change.