The amphibian communities occurring in dewponds of a lowland deciduous forest along the Tyrrhenian coast

Coastal deciduous forests are one of the most threatened habitat types in the Mediterranean region. Nowadays, they are reduced to small isolated patches within a mosaic of cultivated or degraded land, and are limited only to protected areas, such as parks and reserves. In particular, hygrophilous lowland forests have become extremely rare and are also affected by groundwater sinking because of land reclamation and housing. The aims of the present work are to understand the role of some environmental factors in the composition and dynamics of the amphibian communities occurring in both permanent and temporary dewponds of a relevant protected area along the Tyrrhenian coast and to provide information useful for the management of these freshwater bodies.