Terrestrial habitat use by the burrowing toad, Rhinella fernandezae (Anura: Bufonidae)

Abstract

We studied the association between environmental variables and the terrestrial habitat use by adults of the burrowing toad Rhinella fernandezae in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We assessed the cover type, height of vegetation, soil moisture and hardness. We compared these habitat variables in quadrats where toads were present along a transect (n = 30 quadrats, 19 with toad burrows) with respect to randomly chosen quadrats (n = 17). We found that R. fernandezae does not use the habitat at random, and that habitat variables that mostly influenced its habitat use were soil hardness after raining, probably because it facilitates the construction of burrows, and broad-leaved plant cover, which may be affecting toads indirectly through other habitat variables, such as shadowing, air moisture and refuge from predators.