{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,2]],"date-time":"2026-03-02T15:39:17Z","timestamp":1772465957048,"version":"3.50.1"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"group-title":"SSRN","reference-count":68,"publisher":"Elsevier BV","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Amphibians are key bioindicators due to their ecological roles, biphasic life cycles, and high sensitivity to environmental changes. At the same time, amphibian populations are experiencing unprecedented declines driven by habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and emerging diseases. In Portugal, many species are under pressure, yet systematic studies aiming at charactering the environmental drivers shaping their community remain scarce. In this study, we assessed the spatial structure and the influence of the amount and availability of water as drivers of the amphibian community in the first officially protected area in Portugal, the Paisagem Protegida Regional do Litoral de Vila do Conde e Reserva Ornitol\u00f3gica de Mindelo (PPRLVC-ROM). We conducted field surveys over the course of one hydrological year, combining visual encounter transect searches, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveys, and GIS analysis to construct habitat maps. We recorded a total of ten species, confirming the PPRLVC-ROM as having one of the richest amphibian assemblages in Portugal. Community composition displayed seasonal variation, with activity concentrated near temporary ponds and humid depressions. Our analyses revealed that water availability, habitat type, and proximity to aquatic environments were key predictors of species distribution. These findings highlight the ecological importance of small wetlands and habitat heterogeneity in sustaining amphibian populations in Portuguese coastal landscapes. Finally, our study provides an updated ecological baseline for the management of the PPRLVC-ROM and contributes to the broader understanding of amphibian conservation in Portuguese coastal ecosystems.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.2139\/ssrn.6328794","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,2]],"date-time":"2026-03-02T14:44:42Z","timestamp":1772462682000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Environmental drivers of amphibian communities in a coastal protected area of Portugal"],"prefix":"10.2139","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-1192-669X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Bruna","family":"Meirelles","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9650-4307","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Marisa","family":"Naia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8505-3050","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Angelica","family":"Crottini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3490-3780","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Neftal\u00ed","family":"Sillero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"78","reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1420-9101.1996.9010083.x","article-title":"Geographic variation in allozymes of populations of Salamandra salamandra (Amphibia: Urodela) exhibiting distinct reproductive modes","volume":"9","author":"M Alcobendas","year":"1996","journal-title":"Journal of Evolutionary Biology"},{"key":"ref2","author":"P Andrade","year":"2021","journal-title":"Fauna Terrestre da Paisagem Protegida Regional do Litoral de Vila do Conde e Reserva Ornitol\ufffdgica de Mindelo"},{"key":"ref3","year":"2024","journal-title":"Monitoriza\ufffd\ufffdo agrometeorol\ufffdgica e hidrol\ufffdgica"},{"key":"ref4","author":"De Preven\ufffd\ufffdo","year":"2025","journal-title":"Monitoriza\ufffd\ufffdo e Acompanhamento dos Efeitos da Seca"},{"issue":"6","key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1411","DOI":"10.1007\/s10531-017-1307-y","article-title":"Amphibian decline, pond loss and reduced population connectivity under agricultural intensification over a 38 year period","volume":"26","author":"J W Arntzen","year":"2017","journal-title":"Biodiversity and Conservation"},{"issue":"16","key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3472","DOI":"10.1002\/ece3.1617","article-title":"Ecological connectivity assessment in a strongly structured fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) population","volume":"5","author":"L Bani","year":"2015","journal-title":"Ecology and Evolution"},{"key":"ref7","first-page":"1775","volume":"318","author":"C G Becker","year":"2007","journal-title":"Habitat Split and the Global Decline of Amphibians"},{"issue":"2","key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"281","DOI":"10.3390\/d2020281","article-title":"Direct and Indirect Effects of Climate Change on Amphibian Populations","volume":"2","author":"A R Blaustein","year":"2010","journal-title":"Diversity"},{"issue":"12","key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"754","DOI":"10.1038\/s44358-025-00101-5","article-title":"Conservation priorities for global amphibian biodiversity","volume":"1","author":"A Borz\ufffde","year":"2025","journal-title":"Nature Reviews Biodiversity"},{"key":"ref10","first-page":"2296","article-title":"Effect of Recreational Trails on Forest Birds: Human Presence Matters","volume":"6","author":"Y B\ufffdtsch","year":"2018","journal-title":"Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1155\/2012\/989872","article-title":"A Place to Call Home: Amphibian Use of Created and Restored Wetlands","author":"D J Brown","year":"2012","journal-title":"International Journal of Ecology"},{"key":"ref12","author":"M J Cabral","year":"2005","journal-title":"Livro Vermelho dos Vertebrados de Portugal. 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