Predation on native anurans by invasive vertebrates in the Atlantic Rain Forest, Brazil

Resumo

Anurans are commonly preyed upon by vertebrates, but non-native predators may unbalance the natural dynamics of predator-prey interactions and may lead to unforeseen effects. Introduced vertebrates provide examples of potential negative interactions with native species in distinctive environments. Herein we report two cases of predation on native frogs in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest by non-native vertebrates. In the first example, an individual Rattus rattus was observed preying on an individual Rhinella icterica. Secondly, a tadpole of the native tree frog Hypsiboas sp. was found in the stomach contents of an individual Micropterus salmoides. Once most ecological impacts of biological invasion processes are poorly understood for Neotropical species, to report the native/non-native interactions may help to predict on type and direction of impacts into natural sites.