Species richness and composition pattern of amphibians along elevation gradients in eastern Nepal Himalaya are rarely investigated. This is a first ever study in the Himalayan elevation gradient, the world’s highest mountain range and are highly sensitive to the effects of recent global changes. The aim of the present study was to assess amphibian community structure along elevation gradients and identify the potential drivers that regulate community structures. Amphibian assemblages were sampled within 3 months in both 2014 and 2015 (from May to July) using nocturnal time constrained and acoustic aids visual encounter surveys. In total, 79 transects between 78 and 4200 m asl were sampled within 2 years field work. A combination of polynomial regression, generalized linear models, hierarchical partitioning and canonical correspondence analysis were used to determine the effects of elevation and environmental variables on species richness, abundance, and composition of amphibian communities. Species richness and abundance declined linearly with increasing elevation, which did not support the Mid-Domain Model. Among all the environmental variables, elevation, surface area and humidity were the best predictors of species richness, abundance and composition of amphibians. The majority of amphibian species had narrow elevation ranges. There was no significant correlation between species range size and elevation gradients. However, body size significantly increased along elevation gradients, indicating that Bergmann’s rule is valid for amphibians in eastern Nepal Himalaya. This study indicates that eastern Nepal Himalaya is a hotspot in amphibian diversity, and it should be served as a baseline for management and conservation activities.

中文翻译：

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尼泊尔东部喜马拉雅山沿海拔梯度的两栖动物群落结构

尼泊尔东部喜马拉雅山沿海拔梯度的两栖动物物种丰富度和组成模式鲜有研究。这是世界上最高的山脉喜马拉雅海拔梯度的首次研究，对最近的全球变化的影响高度敏感。本研究的目的是评估沿海拔梯度的两栖动物群落结构，并确定调节群落结构的潜在驱动因素。2014年和2015年（从5月到7月）的3个月内，使用夜间约束时间和助听器视觉相遇调查对两栖动物组合进行了采样。在两年的野外工作中，总共采集了78个样地和4200 m个样地之间的79个样点。多项式回归，广义线性模型的组合，使用层次划分和规范对应分析来确定海拔和环境变量对物种丰富度，丰度和两栖动物群落组成的影响。物种的丰富度和丰度随着海拔的升高呈线性下降，这不支持中域模型。在所有环境变量中，海拔，表面积和湿度是两栖动物物种丰富度，丰度和组成的最佳预测指标。大多数两栖动物物种的海拔范围很窄。物种范围大小与海拔梯度之间没有显着相关性。但是，人体大小沿海拔梯度显着增加，这表明伯格曼法则对尼泊尔东部喜马拉雅山的两栖动物有效。