2026/07/26 by Todd R. Lewis, Paul B. C. Grant, Rowland K. Griffin +5
paper · doi:10.1111/btp.70246
ABSTRACT Amphibians are globally affected by climate change. In tropical environments, population decline are hard to decipher due to a lack of baseline data. This study examined amphibian survival during seasonal flooding in a lowland tropical wet forest on the edge of a canal in northeast Costa Rica over three years. Climate data were recorded alongside a capture–mark–recapture program in a Manicaria swamp forest and a permanent pond within the same forest area. Temperature and humidity remained relatively stable, but rainfall fluctuated significantly, with one spike reaching 350 mm in 24 h. Annual forest flooding during the wet season (November–February) was driven by a combination of rainfall and tides. Cormack‐Jolly‐Seber models estimated amphibian survival during wet seasons and flooding. Survival varied within and between years. Models for species survival were statistically robust only for Rhinella horribilis , Lithobates vaillanti , and Oophaga pumilio . Flooding negatively affected survival for Li. vaillanti, although negative trends were observed for the remaining two species. Data sparsity challenged model selection and hypothesis testing. Most amphibian species suspended normal activity during flooding, but some adapted. Rhinella horribilis , Li. vaillanti , and O. pumilio showed high site fidelity to breeding resources, adapting by altering behavior and microhabitat use, and returned to territories post‐flood. These findings highlight the resilience of tropical amphibians to flooding and suggest which species might adapt better to future climate change.