Global key areas to conserve amphibian life forms diversity

Abstract

Amphibians are a fascinating group of vertebrates, yet they are among the most threatened and understudied. In response to their ongoing conservation crisis, numerous extinction risk assessments have been conducted in recent years; however, their diversity of ecomorphs remains largely overlooked. In a recent study, we showed that different amphibian ecomorphs face unequal threats, with some in critical situations. In this context, incorporating ecomorphological diversity into conservation planning is crucial for developing effective strategies. To address this gap, we integrated amphibian life forms into systematic conservation prioritization. First, we identified priority areas for each amphibian ecomorph and then combined them to define global conservation priorities that explicitly account for ecomorphological diversity. Our results show that at least 50 % of each ecomorph's distribution can be represented within just 2 % of the Earth's terrestrial surface. While Torrential and Arboreal species can be represented within just 0.15 % and 0.35 % of the Earth's surface respectively, burrowing species require nearly 2 %. Threat exposure also varies markedly with a 18.8 % of burrowing species' distributions overlap with global deforestation fronts, compared to just 0.9 % for aquatic species. We highlight eastern Madagascar, southern Sri Lanka, and large portions of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest as regions of exceptional importance for preserving amphibian life forms. Notably, these key areas do not necessarily overlap with those identified based solely on taxonomic diversity. Our findings underscore the urgent need to incorporate functional diversity into targeted and comprehensive conservation planning to enhance its effectiveness.