Paéz Vacas, Mónica

Preferred name
Paéz Vacas, Mónica
Main Affiliation
Quito

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    Item type:Publication,
    Environmental
    <scp>DNA</scp>
    succeeds in detecting a low‐density population of endangered harlequin frogs
    (Wiley, 2026-09-11)
    Paéz Vacas, Mónica  
    ;
    Carvajal‐Endara, Sofía
    ;
    Baer, Natasha
    ;
    Edwards, Christine E.
    ;
    Brant, Rachel
    The neotropical harlequin frog genus Atelopus is among the most severely impacted by population declines and extinctions. Environmental DNA (eDNA) offers a valuable, non-invasive tool to detect low-density and elusive species. We evaluated its effectiveness in detecting the recently rediscovered, Critically Endangered, Jambato Harlequin Frog (Atelopus ignescens) across seasons and habitats in Angamarca, Ecuador, the species' only known locality, where just 71 individuals (including 6 tadpoles) were recorded after a year of intensive monthly surveys. We collected 18 water samples from 14 sites, including rivers, creeks, and an irrigation ditch used by adults, during both wet and dry seasons. eDNA metabarcoding analysis detected the species in 5 of 18 samples, all from the wet season. Most detections (n = 4) were from rivers, mainly toward the end of the wet season (early May), including three from the only river where tadpoles had been previously observed. The remaining detections came from the least degraded site and the irrigation ditch. Our findings highlight eDNA's value for detecting A. ignescens during reproductive periods and in tadpole habitats. The study underscores the potential of eDNA to inform monitoring and conservation strategies and emphasizes the importance of conserving less disturbed habitats to ensure the survival of critically endangered species. © 2026 The Author(s). Conservation Science and Practice published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.
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    Item type:Publication,
    Conspicuous and cryptic poison frogs are picky and prefer different meals in syntopy
    (2024)
    Sánchez Loja, Santiago  
    ;
    David A. Donoso
    ;
    Paéz Vacas, Mónica  
    The poison frog family (Anura: Dendrobatidae) consists of species with conspicuous (e.g., warning coloration and toxicity or low palatability) and cryptic (e.g., palatable, and inconspicuous coloration) traits. Previous literature suggests that conspicuous, but not cryptic, species require diet specialization in prey high in alkaloids. To test for dietary preferences of poison frog species, we identified, to the lowest possible taxonomic rank, the diets of 21 Epipedobates darwinwallacei (conspicuous) and 22 Hyloxalus awa (cryptic) frogs living in syntopy in the Otongachi Forest in northwestern Ecuador. We then tested for differences in diet assemblage composition, and diet specialization, in these putatively conspicuous and cryptic frogs. Our analyses showed significant differences in the composition of arthropod assemblages consumed by both frog species, which translated into a narrow niche breadth and nine arthropod taxa (out of a total of 18) consumed by both species. Moreover, the index of relative importance, which measures frog’s diet specialization, suggested that E. darwinwallacei, and H. awa prefer specific arthropod taxa, where the former consumes preferentially springtails and mites, while the latter consumes mostly ants and Coleoptera larvae. Thus, contrary to expectations, diet specialization is not a unique characteristic of the species with conspicuous traits when living in syntopy
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