| Yasuni National Park (YNP), in Ecuador's Amazon basin, is home to 76 documented species of anurans (frogs and toads). Beginning in 1994, this once-pristine park was profoundly altered for oil production. Structural changes to the landscape include a 120 km x 50 m road, a similarly-sized swath cut for laying of pipeline, and erecting of oil wells, well platforms, and well waste reservoirs. This thesis addresses the effects of oil production activities on the anurans of YNP.;Chapter 1 is an inventory of the anurans of YNP, along with a description of the park. This is the first such accounting of these frogs and toads.;Chapter 2 explores how distance from disruption, and time since initial disruption, affect anuran species distribution. A series of site lines, in two transect areas, was used to assess anuran response. In addition, life history characteristics of transect species were addressed. Time and distance both affect assemblage composition, and species distribution can be partially correlated with the frogs' parental care regimes and modes of development.;Chapter 3 is a survey of breeding sites, both natural and human-created (artificial). Calling surveys were used to detect anuran presence as a factor of season, site type, and distance along the road. Season and distance along the road were significantly correlated with species presence, but site type (roadside swamp versus streambed versus oil well waste reservoir) was not. Also, characteristics of breeding site species and the breeding sites themselves were addressed. |
