Current State of Knowledge of Páramo Amphibians in Colombia: Spatio Temporal Trends and Information Gaps to Be Strengthened for Effective Conservation

Abstract

Background and Research Aims: Globally, Colombia is the country with the largest extent of Páramos (delimited in 36 complexes) and with the greatest number of amphibian species in this ecosystem. This work consolidated scientific literature on the amphibians of the Colombian Páramos to characterize temporal, taxonomic, thematic, and geographic patterns, which allow us to identify information gaps that must be fulfilled to achieve effective species conservation. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature survey with seven different search strategies and generated a database. We read each document's Abstract, Methods, Study Area, Results, and supplementary material, following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol. Results: We found 405 documents published between 1863 and 2021. The composition and richness of 142 amphibian species (95 endemics to Colombia), presented significant differences in Páramo complexes and between sectors. Since 2000, the diversity of research topics has increased with a high proportion of studies on Natural History, Systematics and Taxonomy, and Conservation, distributed between 19 and 22 of the departments with Páramos in their jurisdiction. However, much of this knowledge concentrates in less than 20% of total species in just 6% of Páramos complexes. Conclusion: We found critical shortfalls in taxonomy, spatial information, and conservation actions on Páramos amphibians. We need to increase studies that include field data in more geographic areas and research topics, such as Population and Community ecology, Natural history (from a quantitative approach), Infectious disease, and Ecophysiology. Implications for Conservation: The scientific information gaps represent a challenge in generating effective strategies to conserve Páramo amphibians, considering the high degree of endemism and threats to these species. More than 80% of the Páramo amphibian species only have the information of their descriptions and little is known about their ecological requirements, population size, or data related to specific threats.