Sum. (Es, En)

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This study utilized numerous multivariate and other statistical techniques in an ecological analysis of the leaf litter herpetofauna of a neotropical rain forest, at La Selva, Costa Rica. Leaf-litter plots for thirteen months were studied both during the day and at night, in an undisturbed and in an adjacent fallow cacao plantation. At each litter plot, the herpetofauna were collected and over fifty environmental parameters were measured. The forty-seven species of amphibians and reptiles collected showed both a high degree of dominance and high diversity. The diets of these species were studied using content analyses. For the herpetofauna, their diets, and the environmental parameters, the presence and degree of diet and seasonal difference, and differences between the undisturbed habitats, were analyzed. Significant seasonality was found for both the herpetofaunal species and the environmental parameters. Significant differences were also found between the forest and cacao habitats. The disturbed cacao habitat fewer species, a higher overall abundance, lower diversity, the greater patchiness, and greater seasonality

Obra escrita en inglés con resumen en inglés y español