Partnership Building on Integrating Ecological Rehabilitation in CCA _ DRRM in the Philippines last November 25, 2014

2. Limestone Karst Formations
Importance to Ecology, Evolution,
and Conservation of
Philippine Amphibians and Reptiles
Arvin C. Diesmos
Scientist
National Museum of the Philippines
(arvin.diesmos@gmail.com)

3. Salamat Kaayo!
! Philippine Speleological Society
! Speleo Davao
! DENR
! Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau
! Colleagues from the National Museum of the
Philippines, Fauna & Flora International, Wildlife
Conservation Society of the Philippines
! Prof. Angel Alcala

4. Table of ContentsOutline
• Limestone karst-obligate species
• Ecology and evolution
• Gaps in knowledge
• History of exploration in limestone karst habitats
• Conservation implications

5. DISCOVERING DIVERSITY

6. Giants of Philippine Herpetology
Angel Chua Alcala
Photo courtesy of California Academy Sciences Archives.

7. Giants of Philippine Herpetology
Walter C. Brown
Photo courtesy of California Academy Sciences Archives.

8. Negros Limestone Frog Platymantis spelaeus, discovered in the 70ʼs
Basay, April 2005. Photo by ACD.
Limestone Karst Herpetofauna

9. Romblon Limestone Forest Gecko Gekko romblon
Biak-Na-Bato National Park, Luzon Island. March 2010. Photo by ACD.
Limestone Karst Herpetofauna

10. Southern Luzon Limestone Frog Platymantis biak
Biak-Na-Bato National Park, Luzon Island. January 2009. Photo by ACD.
Limestone Karst Herpetofauna

11. Southern Luzon Limestone Forest Gecko Gekko carusadensis
Biak-Na-Bato National Park, Luzon Island. March 2010. Photo by ACD.
Limestone Karst Herpetofauna

12. Limestone Karst Herpetofauna
Amphibians (frogs)
Reptiles (lizards)
5 species
5 species
Described Species

13. Year Locality
Platymantis insulatus 1970 Gigante Island (Panay)
Platymantis spelaeus 1982 Basay (Negros)
Platymantis paengi 2007 Pandan (Panay)
Platymantis bayani 2009 Taft (Samar)
Platymantis biak 2010 Biak Na Bato (Luzon)
Limestone Karst Frogs

14. Year Locality
Gekko cf. mindorensis 1919 Pocanil Point (Mindoro)
Gekko gigante 1978 Gigante Island (Panay)
Gekko romblon 1978 Mt Progreso (Romblon)
Gekko ernstkelleri 2006 Pandan (Panay)
Gekko carusadensis 2010 Biak Na Bato (Luzon)
Limestone Karst Lizards

15. A new species of limestone forest frog (Surigao Province)
(Diesmos, A.C., C.A. Ross, R.M. Brown, in review)
New Discoveries

16. Limestone Karst Herpetofauna
Amphibians (frogs)
Reptiles (lizards &
snakes)
10–20 more new species
15–30 more new species
Undescribed Species

20. ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION

21. Brown & Alcala 1982; Alcala et al. 1998; Siler et al. 2010.
! Only in limestone karst habitat
Natural History
! Obligate to limestone karst forest and
caves

22. Limestone Karst Habitat
Siargao Island. August 2010. Photo by ACD.

23. Day & Urich 2000; Restificar et al. 2006.
Limestone
karst
distribution in
the Philippines
(10% of land
area)

24. ! Frogs use caves as breeding sites
(breeding and egg deposition)
Natural History
! Frogs and lizards inhabit limestone
karst forest as primary refugia
Brown & Alcala 1982; Alcala et al. 1998; Siler et al. 2010.

25. Eggs are deposited in crevices of cave walls and boulders.
Bulacan Province, Luzon Island. January 2009. Photo by ACD.

26. Eggs develop directly into frogs; males perform parental care.
Photo by ACD.

27. Mahilig sa mga singit.

28. ! Site-endemic species (narrow-
endemics)
Geographic Distribution
Brown & Alcala 1982; Alcala et al. 1998; Siler et al. 2010; Diesmos & Brown 2011.

29. Brown & Diesmos 2009, Siler et al. 2010;
Diesmos & Brown, 2011
Frogs
Lizards

30. ! Site-endemic species (narrow-
endemics)
! Geographic distribution of co-evolved
species do not overlap
Brown & Alcala 1982; Alcala et al. 1998; Siler et al. 2010; Diesmos & Brown 2011.
Geographic Distribution

31. Platymantis biak
Platymantis (Surigao)

32. Platymantis biak
Platymantis (Siargao)
Bioacoustics

33. DNA Sequence Data

34. Complex
geological history
and long periods
of isolation.
Pleistocene Islands
Borneo
Luzon
Palawan
Mindanao
Ngano
man?

35. ! Biodiversity is generally distributed according
to paleo-islands: Pleistocene Aggregate
Island Complex (PAIC)
Brown & Diesmos 2002; Brown & Guttman 2002; Evans et al. 2003; Esselstyn et al. 2008; Brown & Diesmos, 2009.
Biogeography

36. Centers of
biodiversity &
endemism
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Inger 1954; Heaney 1985; Ong et al. 2002; Brown & Diesmos 2002, 2009.

37. Inger 1954; Heaney 1985; Brown & Diesmos 2002, 2009.

38. GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE

39. ! Numerous karst habitats are unexplored
! Biological field surveys
Priority Research
! Basic information on natural history is lacking
! Natural history studies
! Conservation status of species need to be
assessed
! Ecological information required

40. ? ?
? ?
? ?
? ?
!
?
?
?
? ?
?
?
!?
? ?
?
?
!
No data frogs
No data reptiles
New species
!
?
Many karst
areas are
unexplored
biologically.

42. Natural history collections are invaluable resource for
biodiversity studies.

44. CONSERVATION

45. Intensive and extensive kaingin farming.
Image by AC Diesmos, San Mariano, Isabela Province, Luzon, 2006.

46. Destructive mining is the greatest threat to
remaining forests.
Image from flickr.com/photos/storm-crypt/.

47. Diesmos et al. 2002; image by AC Diesmos, Mt. Mayon, Albay Province, Luzon, 2004.
Species A
Species B
Species C
Species D
Species E
Species F
Loss of lowland forest affects
low elevation species

48. Source: IUCN, 2011
Most of our species are
found in the lowlands.

49. IUCN Locality a Protected Area?
Platymantis insulatus Critically End Gigante Island (Panay); Not PA
Platymantis spelaeus Endangered Basay (Negros); Not PA
Platymantis paengi Not Assessed Pandan (Panay); PA
Platymantis bayani Not Assessed Taft (Samar); PA
Platymantis biak Not Assessed Biak Na Bato (Luzon); PA
Limestone karst species
are in big trouble.

50. IUCN Locality a Protected Area?
Gekko cf. mindorensis Pocanil Point (Mindoro); Not PA
Gekko gigante Vulnerable Gigante Island (Panay); Not PA
Gekko romblon Mt Progreso (Romblon); Not PA
Gekko ernstkelleri Vulnerable Pandan (Panay); PA
Gekko carusadensis Biak Na Bato (Luzon); PA
Limestone karst species
are in big trouble.

51. Much of Biak Na Bato National Park is degraded and
remnant forest habitat. From Google Earth.

52. ...and so is Basay (locality of Negros Limestone Forest Frog).
From Google Earth.

53. Pounds & Crump 1994; Pounds et al. 1999; Alexander & Eischeid 2001; Blaustein et al. 2001; Gibbs & Breisch 2001;
Alcala et al. 2002; Corn 2005; Araujo et al. 2006; Whitifield et al. 2007; Stuart et al. 2008; Wanger et al. 2009.
! Changes in distribution and population
Climate Change Impacts

54. Stratified distribution pattern
in elevation
Diesmos et al. 2002; image by AC Diesmos, Mt. Mayon, Albay Province, Luzon, 2004.
Species A
Species B
Species C
Species D
Species E
Species F

55. Climate warming will affect
elevational distributions
Diesmos et al. 2002; image by AC Diesmos, Mt. Mayon, Albay Province, Luzon, 2004.
Species A
Species B
Species C

56. A Bit of Good News.

57. Tourism has greater potential to generate more revenues.
Diesmos, Mallari & Altamirano, unpublished.

58. Key Biodiversity Areas =
Key Adventure Areas

59. ! Limestone karst forest habitats are sub-
centers of diversity and endemism
Synopsis
! Generally unexplored biologically
! Cave Act (R.A. 9072) may need to be
expanded to include important karst areas
not within protected areas system
! Highly threatened unique and specialized
habitats and species
! Management plans must include
management of species