The Diversity And Abundance Of Amphibians In Meru National Park Kenya

A study on the diversity and abundance of amphibians was conducted in Meru NationalrnPark (Kenya) from October 2002 to January 2003. Transect sampling, drift-fence andrnpitfall trapping as well as opportunistic collections were used to detect amphibians. A totalrnof 430 individuals of amphibians comprising eleven species and six families werernobserved. Amphibian species diversity was correlated with plant species cover/abundancernin three vegetation communities. Acacia wooded grassland had the highest amphibianrnspecies diversity (H’ = 2.071, D = 6.74). Acacia-Commiphora bushland ranked second (H’rn= 1.858, D = 5.88) while Combretum wooded grassland had the least diversity (H’ =rn1.581, D = 5.076). The Acacia wooded grassland had the highest abundance (173rnindividuals) as well as species richness (10 species). Combretum wooded grassland hadrneight species (113 individuals) while the Acacia-Commiphora bushland had seven speciesrn(144 individuals). Differences in sex ratios within and between vegetation communitiesrnwere not statistically significant (ANOVA, F = 8.3026, P = 0.6914). No differences wererndetected on a species by species basis (X2 Test). There was positive linear correlationrnbetween amphibian species diversity and plant species diversity in all vegetationrncommunities. Hemisus marmoratus and Phrynomantis bifasciatus were exclusivelyrnrecorded in the Acacia wooded grassland. Five plant species assemblages were identifiedrnfrom DCA ordination. These closely matched the three broad vegetation communitiesrnknown for the park. There was least habitat disturbance in the Acacia wooded grasslandrnand a high probability of disturbance in the Combretum wooded grassland. The studyrnconfirmed earlier reports that amphibian diversity and abundance can vary on a very smallrnspatial scale. Impacts of habitat disturbance were also demonstrated. The need for longrnterm monitoring of the amphibian population in Meru National Park, by consideringrnadditional environmental parameters and introducing a new fire management policy forrnthe park is recommended.rnKey words: Diversity, Abundance, Amphibians, Meru (Kenya).

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