The response of herpetofauna to urbanization: Inferring patterns of persistence from wildlife databases

Abstract

Urbanization involves the conversion of natural habitats into human-modified ecosystems and is known to reduce the diversity and abundance of indigenous plant and animal communities. Urbanization may lead to the extinction of indigenous species or facilitate the establishment of non-indigenous communities in cities and towns. We analysed sighting records held in wildlife databases to infer the probability of persistence of reptiles and amphibians ('herpetofauna') within Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Throughout greater Melbourne, 81% (13) of the 16 frog species recorded had ≥95% probability of being extant in 2006, compared with 56% (22) of the 39 species of reptiles recorded. The number of..