Low Abundance and Diversity of Canopy Amphibians in an Andean Choco Forest of Ecuador

The Andes Mountain range, home to the Tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot, harbors extraordinary amphibian diversity, particularly in Ecuador. Despite significant threats such as habitat destruction, infectious diseases, and climate change, the region remains underexplored, especially its canopy fauna. We investigated the amphibian community inhabiting canopy bromeliads in Mashpi Reserve, an ecological preserve located in the Andean Choco bioregion of Ecuador (about 900 m elevation). We employed single rope-climbing techniques to systematically survey 101 bromeliads from 20 trees at heights ranging from 16.3 to 35.6 m. We found amphibians in only 7.9% of bromeliads: two adult Salidero Robber Frogs (Pristimantis subsigillatus), five juvenile Pristimantis sp., and one clutch of eight Pristimantis sp. eggs between 20.0 and 33.1 m above ground. We measured bromeliad morphology (height, width, and width of the base) and environmental conditions at the time of collection (pH and temperature of the water inside the bromeliads, and ambient temperature). None of the environmental variables significantly predicted amphibian presence in bromeliads. The low amphibian abundance and diversity observed in the canopy of Mashpi Reserve contrasts with findings from the lowland Amazon of Ecuador, suggesting that the relatively constant subcanopy humidity and water availability at Mashpi may help explain the lesser use of bro-meliads as amphibian refuges. Our findings highlight the need for more surveys of canopy-dwelling amphibian communities across elevations, forest types, and seasons, as canopy occupancy appears highly variable between locations.