Bromeliad-Dwelling Frogs Revealed by Citizen Scientists

Abstract

Understanding species composition across temporal and spatial scales through participatory monitoring has contributed to the development of several studies focused on biodiversity in Neotropical ecosystems. Habitat loss and the illegal collection of bromeliads pose significant threats to bromeligenous frogs, which depend on the rainwater collected between bromeliad leaves for egg and tadpole development. In this study, we compiled a comprehensive dataset of bromeligenous frogs using data from “Projeto Bromélias” on the iNaturalist citizen science platform. Our dataset includes records of 85 species of bromeligenous frogs, representing 52% of the 164 known species that reproduce in bromeliads. These species belong to 33 genera and 10 families and are reported from 18 countries. Twenty-eight species are listed in threatened categories on a global scale. Our findings extended the known geographic distribution of four species. Notably, the green and black poison dart Frog, Dendrobates auratus, was recorded as a non-native species in Hawaii, USA. Regarding the temporal data, the number of bromeligenous records increased substantially after 2009. This study highlights the value of citizen science platforms as important tools for monitoring bromeliad inhabitants and contributing to management and conservation initiatives.