Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency

Stefan Lötters; Amadeus Plewnia; Alessandro Catenazzi; Kelsey Neam; Andrés R. Acosta-Galvis; Yesenia Alarcon Vela; Joshua P. Allen; Juan O. Alfaro Segundo; Ana de Lourdes Almendáriz Cabezas; Gilbert Alvarado Barboza; Kleiton R. Alves-Silva; Marvin Anganoy-Criollo; Ernesto Arbeláez Ortiz; Jackeline D. Arpi Lojano; Alejandro Arteaga; Onil Ballestas; Diego Barrera Moscoso; José D. Barros-Castañeda; Abel Batista; Manuel H. Bernal; Esteban Betancourt; Youszef Oliveira da Cunha Bitar; Philipp Böning; Laura Bravo-Valencia; José F. Cáceres Andrade; Diego Cadenas; Juan Carlos Chaparro Auza; Giovanni A. Chaves-Portilla; Germán Chávez; Luis A. Coloma; Claudia F. Cortez-Fernandez; Elodie A. Courtois; Jaime Culebras; Ignacio De la Riva; Vladimir Diaz; Luis C. Elizondo Lara; Raffael Ernst; Sandra V. Flechas; Thibaut Foch; Antoine Fouquet; Carmen Z. García Méndez; Juan Elias García-Pérez; Diego A. Gómez-Hoyos; Samuel C. Gomides; Jorge Guerrel; Brian Gratwicke; Juan M. Guayasamin; Edgardo Griffith; Valia Herrera-Alva; Roberto Ibáñez; Carlos Iván Idrovo; Andrés Jiménez Monge; Rafael F. Jorge; Alisha Jung; Blake Klocke; Margarita Lampo; Edgar Lehr; Carrie H.R. Lewis; Erik D. Lindquist; Yeny R. López-Perilla; Glib Mazepa; Guido F. Medina-Rangel; Andrés Merino Viteri; Kevin Mulder; Mauricio Pacheco-Suarez; Andry Pereira-Muñoz; José Luis Pérez-González; Maria Alejandra Pinto Erazo; Adolfo Gustavo Pisso Florez; Marcos Ponce; Vicky Poole; Amanda B. Quezada Riera; Aarón J. Quiroz; Michelle Quiroz-Espinoza; Alejandro Ramírez Guerra; Juan P. Ramírez; Steffen Reichle; Hugo Reizine; Mauricio Rivera-Correa; Bernardo Roca-Rey Ross; Andrés Rocha-Usuga; Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues; Sintana Rojas Montaño; Daniela C. Rößler; Luis Alberto Rueda Solano; Celsa Señaris; Alexander Shepack; Fausto R. Siavichay Pesántez; Anton Sorokin; Andrea Terán-Valdez; Grecia Torres-Ccasani; Pablo C. Tovar-Siso; Lina M. Valencia; David A. Velásquez-Trujillo; Michael Veith; Pablo J. Venegas; Jeferson Villalba-Fuentes; Rudolf von May; Juan F. Webster Bernal; Enrique La Marca

doi:10.1038/s43247-023-01069-w

Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency

Stefan Lötters^*
, Amadeus Plewnia
, Alessandro Catenazzi
, Kelsey Neam
, Andrés R. Acosta-Galvis
, Yesenia Alarcon Vela
, Joshua P. Allen
, Juan O. Alfaro Segundo
, Ana de Lourdes Almendáriz Cabezas
, Gilbert Alvarado Barboza
, Kleiton R. Alves-Silva
, Marvin Anganoy-Criollo
, Ernesto Arbeláez Ortiz
, Jackeline D. Arpi Lojano
, Alejandro Arteaga
, Onil Ballestas
, Diego Barrera Moscoso
, José D. Barros-Castañeda
, Abel Batista
, Manuel H. Bernal

Esteban Betancourt, Youszef Oliveira da Cunha Bitar, Philipp Böning, Laura Bravo-Valencia, José F. Cáceres Andrade, Diego Cadenas, Juan Carlos Chaparro Auza, Giovanni A. Chaves-Portilla, Germán Chávez, Luis A. Coloma, Claudia F. Cortez-Fernandez, Elodie A. Courtois, Jaime Culebras, Ignacio De la Riva, Vladimir Diaz, Luis C. Elizondo Lara, Raffael Ernst, Sandra V. Flechas, Thibaut Foch, Antoine Fouquet, Carmen Z. García Méndez, Juan Elias García-Pérez, Diego A. Gómez-Hoyos, Samuel C. Gomides, Jorge Guerrel, Brian Gratwicke, Juan M. Guayasamin, Edgardo Griffith, Valia Herrera-Alva, Roberto Ibáñez, Carlos Iván Idrovo, Andrés Jiménez Monge, Rafael F. Jorge, Alisha Jung, Blake Klocke, Margarita Lampo, Edgar Lehr, Carrie H.R. Lewis, Erik D. Lindquist, Yeny R. López-Perilla, Glib Mazepa, Guido F. Medina-Rangel, Andrés Merino Viteri, Kevin Mulder, Mauricio Pacheco-Suarez, Andry Pereira-Muñoz, José Luis Pérez-González, Maria Alejandra Pinto Erazo, Adolfo Gustavo Pisso Florez, Marcos Ponce, Vicky Poole, Amanda B. Quezada Riera, Aarón J. Quiroz, Michelle Quiroz-Espinoza, Alejandro Ramírez Guerra, Juan P. Ramírez, Steffen Reichle, Hugo Reizine, Mauricio Rivera-Correa, Bernardo Roca-Rey Ross, Andrés Rocha-Usuga, Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues, Sintana Rojas Montaño, Daniela C. Rößler, Luis Alberto Rueda Solano, Celsa Señaris, Alexander Shepack, Fausto R. Siavichay Pesántez, Anton Sorokin, Andrea Terán-Valdez, Grecia Torres-Ccasani, Pablo C. Tovar-Siso, Lina M. Valencia, David A. Velásquez-Trujillo, Michael Veith, Pablo J. Venegas, Jeferson Villalba-Fuentes, Rudolf von May, Juan F. Webster Bernal, Enrique La Marca

^*Corresponding author for this work

Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

Biodiversity loss is extreme in amphibians. Despite ongoing conservation action, it is difficult to determine where we stand in overcoming their extinction crisis. Among the most threatened amphibians are the 131 Neotropical harlequin toads. Many of them declined since the 1980s with several considered possibly extinct. Recently, more than 30 species have been rediscovered, raising hope for a reversing trend in the amphibian extinction crisis. We use past and present data available for harlequin toads (Atelopus), to examine whether the amphibian extinction crisis is still in an emergency state. Since 2004 no species has improved its population status, suggesting that recovery efforts have not been successful. Threats include habitat change, pathogen spread and climate change. More mitigation strategies need implementation, especially habitat protection and disease management, combined with captive conservation breeding. With harlequin toads serving as a model, it is clear that the amphibian extinction crisis is still underway.

Original language	English
Article number	412
Journal	Communications Earth and Environment
Volume	4
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01069-w
State	Published - Dec 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).

Funding

For help with gathering data on harlequin toads we are grateful to the following colleagues Marvin Anganoy-Criollo, Ariadne Angulo, Jimy Barrantes-Madrigal, Leonardo Batallas, Merilyn A. Caballero Arias, Euclides Campos, Mauricio Carpio, Daniel Chávez, Patricio Dominguez, Rogemif D. Fuentes M., Gustavo Gonzalez Duran, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Paul Houser, Astrid Lizondro, Felipe Lievano, Albertina P. Lima, Madian Miranda, Daniel Orizano, Luis Oyagata, Daniel Padilla Jiménez, Luis Pino, Sergio Quiroz, Héctor E. Ramírez-Chaves, Ángel Sosa-Bartuano, Samuel Valdes, and Andrés Viuche Lozano. Christopher Heine kindly provided a photograph used in Fig. 1. We also thank the entire Atelopus Survival Initiative for support and Luis F. Marin da Fonte, Jamie Voyles, and Corinne L. Richards-Zawacki for valuable comments on the manuscript.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 13 Climate Action
SDG 15 Life on Land

Access to Document

10.1038/s43247-023-01069-w

Cite this

Lötters, S., Plewnia, A., Catenazzi, A., Neam, K., Acosta-Galvis, A. R., Alarcon Vela, Y., Allen, J. P., Alfaro Segundo, J. O., de Lourdes Almendáriz Cabezas, A., Alvarado Barboza, G., Alves-Silva, K. R., Anganoy-Criollo, M., Arbeláez Ortiz, E., Arpi Lojano, J. D., Arteaga, A., Ballestas, O., Barrera Moscoso, D., Barros-Castañeda, J. D., Batista, A., ... La Marca, E. (2023). Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency. Communications Earth and Environment, 4(1), Article 412. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01069-w

@article{a9fd409308044fe8bdd5a4ace87a746f,

title = "Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency",

abstract = "Biodiversity loss is extreme in amphibians. Despite ongoing conservation action, it is difficult to determine where we stand in overcoming their extinction crisis. Among the most threatened amphibians are the 131 Neotropical harlequin toads. Many of them declined since the 1980s with several considered possibly extinct. Recently, more than 30 species have been rediscovered, raising hope for a reversing trend in the amphibian extinction crisis. We use past and present data available for harlequin toads (Atelopus), to examine whether the amphibian extinction crisis is still in an emergency state. Since 2004 no species has improved its population status, suggesting that recovery efforts have not been successful. Threats include habitat change, pathogen spread and climate change. More mitigation strategies need implementation, especially habitat protection and disease management, combined with captive conservation breeding. With harlequin toads serving as a model, it is clear that the amphibian extinction crisis is still underway.",

author = "Stefan L{\"o}tters and Amadeus Plewnia and Alessandro Catenazzi and Kelsey Neam and Acosta-Galvis, \{Andr{\'e}s R.\} and \{Alarcon Vela\}, Yesenia and Allen, \{Joshua P.\} and \{Alfaro Segundo\}, \{Juan O.\} and \{de Lourdes Almend{\'a}riz Cabezas\}, Ana and \{Alvarado Barboza\}, Gilbert and Alves-Silva, \{Kleiton R.\} and Marvin Anganoy-Criollo and \{Arbel{\'a}ez Ortiz\}, Ernesto and \{Arpi Lojano\}, \{Jackeline D.\} and Alejandro Arteaga and Onil Ballestas and \{Barrera Moscoso\}, Diego and Barros-Casta{\~n}eda, \{Jos{\'e} D.\} and Abel Batista and Bernal, \{Manuel H.\} and Esteban Betancourt and \{da Cunha Bitar\}, \{Youszef Oliveira\} and Philipp B{\"o}ning and Laura Bravo-Valencia and \{C{\'a}ceres Andrade\}, \{Jos{\'e} F.\} and Diego Cadenas and \{Chaparro Auza\}, \{Juan Carlos\} and Chaves-Portilla, \{Giovanni A.\} and Germ{\'a}n Ch{\'a}vez and Coloma, \{Luis A.\} and Cortez-Fernandez, \{Claudia F.\} and Courtois, \{Elodie A.\} and Jaime Culebras and \{De la Riva\}, Ignacio and Vladimir Diaz and \{Elizondo Lara\}, \{Luis C.\} and Raffael Ernst and Flechas, \{Sandra V.\} and Thibaut Foch and Antoine Fouquet and \{Garc{\'i}a M{\'e}ndez\}, \{Carmen Z.\} and Garc{\'i}a-P{\'e}rez, \{Juan Elias\} and G{\'o}mez-Hoyos, \{Diego A.\} and Gomides, \{Samuel C.\} and Jorge Guerrel and Brian Gratwicke and Guayasamin, \{Juan M.\} and Edgardo Griffith and Valia Herrera-Alva and Roberto Ib{\'a}{\~n}ez and Idrovo, \{Carlos Iv{\'a}n\} and \{Jim{\'e}nez Monge\}, Andr{\'e}s and Jorge, \{Rafael F.\} and Alisha Jung and Blake Klocke and Margarita Lampo and Edgar Lehr and Lewis, \{Carrie H.R.\} and Lindquist, \{Erik D.\} and L{\'o}pez-Perilla, \{Yeny R.\} and Glib Mazepa and Medina-Rangel, \{Guido F.\} and \{Merino Viteri\}, Andr{\'e}s and Kevin Mulder and Mauricio Pacheco-Suarez and Andry Pereira-Mu{\~n}oz and P{\'e}rez-Gonz{\'a}lez, \{Jos{\'e} Luis\} and \{Pinto Erazo\}, \{Maria Alejandra\} and \{Pisso Florez\}, \{Adolfo Gustavo\} and Marcos Ponce and Vicky Poole and \{Quezada Riera\}, \{Amanda B.\} and Quiroz, \{Aar{\'o}n J.\} and Michelle Quiroz-Espinoza and \{Ram{\'i}rez Guerra\}, Alejandro and Ram{\'i}rez, \{Juan P.\} and Steffen Reichle and Hugo Reizine and Mauricio Rivera-Correa and \{Roca-Rey Ross\}, Bernardo and Andr{\'e}s Rocha-Usuga and Rodrigues, \{Miguel Trefaut\} and \{Rojas Monta{\~n}o\}, Sintana and R{\"o}{\ss}ler, \{Daniela C.\} and \{Rueda Solano\}, \{Luis Alberto\} and Celsa Se{\~n}aris and Alexander Shepack and \{Siavichay Pes{\'a}ntez\}, \{Fausto R.\} and Anton Sorokin and Andrea Ter{\'a}n-Valdez and Grecia Torres-Ccasani and Tovar-Siso, \{Pablo C.\} and Valencia, \{Lina M.\} and Vel{\'a}squez-Trujillo, \{David A.\} and Michael Veith and Venegas, \{Pablo J.\} and Jeferson Villalba-Fuentes and \{von May\}, Rudolf and \{Webster Bernal\}, \{Juan F.\} and \{La Marca\}, Enrique",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023, The Author(s).",

year = "2023",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1038/s43247-023-01069-w",

language = "English",

volume = "4",

journal = "Communications Earth and Environment",

issn = "2662-4435",

publisher = "Springer Nature",

number = "1",

}

Lötters, S, Plewnia, A, Catenazzi, A, Neam, K, Acosta-Galvis, AR, Alarcon Vela, Y, Allen, JP, Alfaro Segundo, JO, de Lourdes Almendáriz Cabezas, A, Alvarado Barboza, G, Alves-Silva, KR, Anganoy-Criollo, M, Arbeláez Ortiz, E, Arpi Lojano, JD, Arteaga, A, Ballestas, O, Barrera Moscoso, D, Barros-Castañeda, JD, Batista, A, Bernal, MH, Betancourt, E, da Cunha Bitar, YO, Böning, P, Bravo-Valencia, L, Cáceres Andrade, JF, Cadenas, D, Chaparro Auza, JC, Chaves-Portilla, GA, Chávez, G, Coloma, LA, Cortez-Fernandez, CF, Courtois, EA, Culebras, J, De la Riva, I, Diaz, V, Elizondo Lara, LC, Ernst, R, Flechas, SV, Foch, T, Fouquet, A, García Méndez, CZ, García-Pérez, JE, Gómez-Hoyos, DA, Gomides, SC, Guerrel, J, Gratwicke, B, Guayasamin, JM, Griffith, E, Herrera-Alva, V, Ibáñez, R, Idrovo, CI, Jiménez Monge, A, Jorge, RF, Jung, A, Klocke, B, Lampo, M, Lehr, E, Lewis, CHR, Lindquist, ED, López-Perilla, YR, Mazepa, G, Medina-Rangel, GF, Merino Viteri, A, Mulder, K, Pacheco-Suarez, M, Pereira-Muñoz, A, Pérez-González, JL, Pinto Erazo, MA, Pisso Florez, AG, Ponce, M, Poole, V, Quezada Riera, AB, Quiroz, AJ, Quiroz-Espinoza, M, Ramírez Guerra, A, Ramírez, JP, Reichle, S, Reizine, H, Rivera-Correa, M, Roca-Rey Ross, B, Rocha-Usuga, A, Rodrigues, MT, Rojas Montaño, S, Rößler, DC, Rueda Solano, LA, Señaris, C, Shepack, A, Siavichay Pesántez, FR, Sorokin, A, Terán-Valdez, A, Torres-Ccasani, G, Tovar-Siso, PC, Valencia, LM, Velásquez-Trujillo, DA, Veith, M, Venegas, PJ, Villalba-Fuentes, J, von May, R, Webster Bernal, JF & La Marca, E 2023, 'Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency', Communications Earth and Environment, vol. 4, no. 1, 412. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01069-w

TY - JOUR

T1 - Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency

AU - Lötters, Stefan

AU - Plewnia, Amadeus

AU - Catenazzi, Alessandro

AU - Neam, Kelsey

AU - Acosta-Galvis, Andrés R.

AU - Alarcon Vela, Yesenia

AU - Allen, Joshua P.

AU - Alfaro Segundo, Juan O.

AU - de Lourdes Almendáriz Cabezas, Ana

AU - Alvarado Barboza, Gilbert

AU - Alves-Silva, Kleiton R.

AU - Anganoy-Criollo, Marvin

AU - Arbeláez Ortiz, Ernesto

AU - Arpi Lojano, Jackeline D.

AU - Arteaga, Alejandro

AU - Ballestas, Onil

AU - Barrera Moscoso, Diego

AU - Barros-Castañeda, José D.

AU - Batista, Abel

AU - Bernal, Manuel H.

AU - Betancourt, Esteban

AU - da Cunha Bitar, Youszef Oliveira

AU - Böning, Philipp

AU - Bravo-Valencia, Laura

AU - Cáceres Andrade, José F.

AU - Cadenas, Diego

AU - Chaparro Auza, Juan Carlos

AU - Chaves-Portilla, Giovanni A.

AU - Chávez, Germán

AU - Coloma, Luis A.

AU - Cortez-Fernandez, Claudia F.

AU - Courtois, Elodie A.

AU - Culebras, Jaime

AU - De la Riva, Ignacio

AU - Diaz, Vladimir

AU - Elizondo Lara, Luis C.

AU - Ernst, Raffael

AU - Flechas, Sandra V.

AU - Foch, Thibaut

AU - Fouquet, Antoine

AU - García Méndez, Carmen Z.

AU - García-Pérez, Juan Elias

AU - Gómez-Hoyos, Diego A.

AU - Gomides, Samuel C.

AU - Guerrel, Jorge

AU - Gratwicke, Brian

AU - Guayasamin, Juan M.

AU - Griffith, Edgardo

AU - Herrera-Alva, Valia

AU - Ibáñez, Roberto

AU - Idrovo, Carlos Iván

AU - Jiménez Monge, Andrés

AU - Jorge, Rafael F.

AU - Jung, Alisha

AU - Klocke, Blake

AU - Lampo, Margarita

AU - Lehr, Edgar

AU - Lewis, Carrie H.R.

AU - Lindquist, Erik D.

AU - López-Perilla, Yeny R.

AU - Mazepa, Glib

AU - Medina-Rangel, Guido F.

AU - Merino Viteri, Andrés

AU - Mulder, Kevin

AU - Pacheco-Suarez, Mauricio

AU - Pereira-Muñoz, Andry

AU - Pérez-González, José Luis

AU - Pinto Erazo, Maria Alejandra

AU - Pisso Florez, Adolfo Gustavo

AU - Ponce, Marcos

AU - Poole, Vicky

AU - Quezada Riera, Amanda B.

AU - Quiroz, Aarón J.

AU - Quiroz-Espinoza, Michelle

AU - Ramírez Guerra, Alejandro

AU - Ramírez, Juan P.

AU - Reichle, Steffen

AU - Reizine, Hugo

AU - Rivera-Correa, Mauricio

AU - Roca-Rey Ross, Bernardo

AU - Rocha-Usuga, Andrés

AU - Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut

AU - Rojas Montaño, Sintana

AU - Rößler, Daniela C.

AU - Rueda Solano, Luis Alberto

AU - Señaris, Celsa

AU - Shepack, Alexander

AU - Siavichay Pesántez, Fausto R.

AU - Sorokin, Anton

AU - Terán-Valdez, Andrea

AU - Torres-Ccasani, Grecia

AU - Tovar-Siso, Pablo C.

AU - Valencia, Lina M.

AU - Velásquez-Trujillo, David A.

AU - Veith, Michael

AU - Venegas, Pablo J.

AU - Villalba-Fuentes, Jeferson

AU - von May, Rudolf

AU - Webster Bernal, Juan F.

AU - La Marca, Enrique

PY - 2023/12

Y1 - 2023/12

N2 - Biodiversity loss is extreme in amphibians. Despite ongoing conservation action, it is difficult to determine where we stand in overcoming their extinction crisis. Among the most threatened amphibians are the 131 Neotropical harlequin toads. Many of them declined since the 1980s with several considered possibly extinct. Recently, more than 30 species have been rediscovered, raising hope for a reversing trend in the amphibian extinction crisis. We use past and present data available for harlequin toads (Atelopus), to examine whether the amphibian extinction crisis is still in an emergency state. Since 2004 no species has improved its population status, suggesting that recovery efforts have not been successful. Threats include habitat change, pathogen spread and climate change. More mitigation strategies need implementation, especially habitat protection and disease management, combined with captive conservation breeding. With harlequin toads serving as a model, it is clear that the amphibian extinction crisis is still underway.

AB - Biodiversity loss is extreme in amphibians. Despite ongoing conservation action, it is difficult to determine where we stand in overcoming their extinction crisis. Among the most threatened amphibians are the 131 Neotropical harlequin toads. Many of them declined since the 1980s with several considered possibly extinct. Recently, more than 30 species have been rediscovered, raising hope for a reversing trend in the amphibian extinction crisis. We use past and present data available for harlequin toads (Atelopus), to examine whether the amphibian extinction crisis is still in an emergency state. Since 2004 no species has improved its population status, suggesting that recovery efforts have not been successful. Threats include habitat change, pathogen spread and climate change. More mitigation strategies need implementation, especially habitat protection and disease management, combined with captive conservation breeding. With harlequin toads serving as a model, it is clear that the amphibian extinction crisis is still underway.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85176282933

U2 - 10.1038/s43247-023-01069-w

DO - 10.1038/s43247-023-01069-w

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85176282933

SN - 2662-4435

VL - 4

JO - Communications Earth and Environment

JF - Communications Earth and Environment

IS - 1

M1 - 412

ER -

Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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