Influence of avocado orchard landscapes on amphibians and reptiles in the trans‐Mexican volcanic belt

Commercial fruit orchards are embedded in a landscape of native forest and diverse kinds of agroecosystems. The landscape structure of these systems is a major driver of biodiversity response. Generally, it is assumed that high levels of biodiversity occur in perennial systems largely due to their high structural complexity. However, little is known about the influence of other landscape attributes on these levels of biodiversity. Avocado (Persea americana) constitutes about 25 percent of the global fresh fruit trade. In Mexico, avocado trees flourish about the same altitude as pine–oak forests (POFs). We studied the response of the local herpetofauna to conversion of POF to avocado orchards (AOs). We also explored the effects of forest cover on species that differ in their levels of habitat specialization. In the avocado belt in Michoacan, we sampled 12 sites representing a gradient of AO embedded in native POF to evaluate the variation in structure of local assemblages of amphibians and reptiles. Reduction of POF cover negatively affected specialist frog and snake species, but this relationship varied among buffers around sampling sites. Generalist species of amphibians and lizards showed increased abundances and richness in sites with low POF cover, whereas snake richness and abundance were higher in sites with high POF cover. Our study suggests that POF conversion to AO is a driver favoring the persistence and success of generalist but not specialist herpetofauna species. Therefore, to conserve the diversity of amphibians and reptiles in these agroecosystems, it is important to ensure high proportion of POF patches. in Spanish is available with online material. Resumen Los huertos comerciales de árboles frutales son agroecosistemas incrustados en una matriz agrícola. La estructura del paisaje de estos sistemas puede ser un agente causal importante en la respuesta de la biodiversidad. En general, se asume que en los sistemas perennes ocurren altos niveles de biodiversidad debido a su alta complejidad estructural. Sin embargo, se conoce poco sobre la influencia de los atributos del paisaje en estos niveles de biodiversidad. El aguacate (Persea americana), es un árbol frutal perenne, que constituye aproximadamente el 25 por ciento del comercio mundial de fruta fresca. En México, los árboles de aguacate crecen a la misma altitud que los bosques de pino‐encino. Estudiamos la respuesta de anfibios y reptiles a la conversión de bosques de pino‐encino (POF) en