Comparisons of the leaf litter herpetofauna in abandoned cacao plantations and primary rain forest in Costa Rica: some implications for faunal restoration
Article
Heinen, JT. (1992). Comparisons of the leaf litter herpetofauna in abandoned cacao plantations and primary rain forest in Costa Rica: some implications for faunal restoration
. BIOTROPICA, 24(3), 431-439. 10.2307/2388614
Heinen, JT. (1992). Comparisons of the leaf litter herpetofauna in abandoned cacao plantations and primary rain forest in Costa Rica: some implications for faunal restoration
. BIOTROPICA, 24(3), 431-439. 10.2307/2388614
Comparisons among three forest stands at La Selva were made of biomass, abundance, richness, relative abundance, evenness and species overlap of herpetofauna collected in leaf litter plots. The forest stands were primary forest and two different cacao plantations abandoned for five and 25 yr. Abundance and biomass of herpetofauna were greater in more recently disturbed sites, but evenness, richness, and diversity were greater in less recently disturbed sites. The more recently disturbed sites also had deeper leaf litter, which may influence prey availability, and higher percent canopy open, which may lead to extremes in temperature and moisture availability, compared to undisturbed primary forest. Herpetofaunal restoration is thus a relatively slow process, and presence of primary forest is important for maintenance of some rare species. -from Author
