Niche suitability and spatial distribution patterns of anurans in a unique Ecoregion mosaic of Northern Pakistan

The lack of information regarding biodiversity states hampers designing and implementation conservation strategies and future targets. Northern Pakistan consists of a unique ecoregion mosaic which supports a myriad of environmental niches for anuran diversity to flourish in comparison to the deserts and xeric shrublands throughout the rest of the country. In order to study the niche suitability, overlap and distribution patterns in Pakistan, we collected observational data for nine amphibian species across several distinct ecoregions by surveying 87 randomly selected locations from 2016 to 2018 in District Rawalpindi and Islamabad Capital Territory. Our model showed that the precipitation of the warmest and coldest quarter, distance to rivers and vegetation were the greatest drivers of anuran distribution, expectedly indicating that the presence of humid forests and proximity to waterways greatly influences the habitable range of anurans in Pakistan. Sympatric overlap between species occurred at significantly higher density in tropical and subtropical coniferous forests than in other ecoregion types. We found species such as Minervarya spp., Hoplobatrachus tigerinus and Euphlyctis spp. showed preference for the lowlands in proximal, central and southern parts of the study area proximal to urban settlements, little vegetation and higher average temperatures. The toads Duttaphrynus bengalensis and D. stomaticus had scattered distributions throughout the study area with no clear preference for elevation. Sphaerotheca pashchima showed a patchy distribution in the midwestern extent of the study area as well as the foothills to the north. Microhyla nilphamariensis also showed a wide distribution throughout the study area with a preference for both lowlands and montane terrain. Endemic frogs (Nanorana vicina and Allopaa hazarensis) were observed only in locations with higher elevations, higher density of streams and lower average temperatures as compared to the other seven species sampled.Funding provided by: Higher Education Commission, PakistanCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004681Award Number: 3170Funding provided by: International Foundation for ScienceCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004413Award Number: D-5459/