Becker, Carlos GuilhermeFonseca, Carlos RobertoBaptista Haddad, Celio FernandoBatista, Romulo FernandesPrado, Paulo Inacio2014-02-262014-05-202014-02-262014-05-202007-12-14Science. Washington: Amer Associação Advancement Science, v. 318, n. 5857, p. 1775-1777, 2007.0036-8075http://hdl.handle.net/11449/21032The worldwide decline in amphibians has been attributed to several causes, especially habitat loss and disease. We identified a further factor, namely habitat split- defined as human- induced disconnection between habitats used by different life history stages of a species- which forces forest- associated amphibians with aquatic larvae to make risky breeding migrations between suitable aquatic and terrestrial habitats. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, we found that habitat split negatively affects the richness of species with aquatic larvae but not the richness of species with terrestrial development ( the latter can complete their life cycle inside forest remnants). This mechanism helps to explain why species with aquatic larvae have the highest incidence of population decline. These findings reinforce the need for the conservation and restoration of riparian vegetation.1775-1777engArtigo10.1126/science.1149374WOS:000251616800041Acesso restrito0458077399058762