Diversity and Distribution of Amphibians in Ise Forest Reserve Ekiti State.

Abstract

The investigation of amphibian diversity and distribution in Ise Forest Reserve, Ekiti State, Nigeria, was carried out between November to July, 2014. Sampling took place in four microhabitats located in the swampy and upland areas of the reserve. 10 different species of Amphibians and belonged to order Anura and 10 families were identified. Two hundred and thirty seven (237) and one hundred and forty-nine (149) individual amphibians were counted during the wet and dry seasons respectively. This number was irregularly distributed in the four microhabitat types. The under fallen log microhabitat recorded the highest percentage (30.80%) of individual amphibians followed by stream microhabitat (29.11%), under rock habitat (20.68%) and grass vegetation microhabitat (19.41%). There were significant differences in amphibian diversity between the habitats and abundance among the species. This indicates that the amphibian species shows some level of habitat preferences. However, the under fallen log microhabitat favoured amphibian diversity and distribution most in both seasons. The results support the hypothesis that seasonal differences influence composition and abundance of some species of amphibian irrespective of habitat.