Frogs in conserved and altered soundscapes an urban matrix in Central Brazil

Abstract

Abstract Various factors, including the level of conservation of natural areas, their degree of isolation, the intensity of noise pollution, and the presence of domestic animals, among others, influence the presence of native species in remaining patches of natural vegetation within urban areas. In this study, we evaluated the diversity of amphibians in natural areas within the urban matrix of Brasília, the capital city of Brazil. We examined the variation in species richness and its association with acoustic indices calculated for 20 sampling areas. We used commonly used acoustic indices to characterize the acoustic landscapes we studied. Our results indicated that conserved areas had higher amphibian species richness than altered areas, and the same pattern held for acoustic indices. We found a significant correlation only between species richness and the Normalized Difference Sound Index - NDSI. We also found that ADI and H had the highest values in the middle of the night, while BI and ACI had the highest values at the beginning of the night. Our findings highlight the importance of remaining natural areas for maintaining native species in urban areas, despite a significant reduction in biodiversity in areas with higher levels of noise pollution, as measured by NDSI. Urban management actions require not only the preservation of intact native vegetation but also control of the noise pollution affecting these areas, aimed at creating sustainable cities.