Implications of microhabitat selection and patterns of activity on the thermal ecology of high elevation neotropical...

This paper focuses on whether microhabitat selection reduces exposure to cold temperatures in highelevation tropical amphibians. I studied the microhabitat associations and thermal ecology of four anurans (Colostethus subpunctatus, Atelopus sp. nov., Eleutherodactylus bogotensis, and Hyla labialis) that live in the Andes of central Colombia. I compared two populations (3500 m and 2900 m) to evaluate the impact of a change in elevation on microhabitat thermal regimes and frog behavior. Ambient temperatures of frequently used microhabitats (soil surface, retreat sites, bogs, and ponds) were significantly lower at 3500 m. However, for each species the microhabitat associations and general patterns of activity were similar at both elevations. Body temperatures of active frogs were mainly determined by the interaction between microhabitat selection and time of the day, therefore frogs at 3500 m had lower activity temperatures than conspecifics at 2900 m. Terrestrial and diurnal anurans (Atelopus sp. nov.) experienced highly variable activity temperatures. Frogs associated with water bodies (C. subpunctatus, and H. labialis) experienced more moderate and less variable temperatures. Terrestrial, nocturnal frogs (E. bogotensis) exhibited the lowest activity temperatures, and their thermal ecology was strongly affected by increase in altitude. The physical nature of high tropical elevations limits the opportunities for behavioral thermoregulation in amphibians, and increases the importance of physiological adjustments to tolerate a wide thermal range. This may partially explain why only a small number of amphibian species, representing genera that are much more diverse at lower elevations, have been able to exploit these environments.