Urban Ponds, Neglected Noah's Ark for Amphibians

Urban areas can contain habitat that supports amphibian populations, such as artificial ponds. We sampled a less than 3-m(2) pond in the city of Oviedo (North Iberia) and found abundant populations of two anurans (Alytes obstetricans, Discoglossus galganoi) and one urodele (Lissotriton helveticus). The three species present at the urban site exhibited high diversity in their mitochondrial DNA, comparable to levels found for populations in nearby rural areas that contained more and larger water bodies. Our results suggest that urban ponds should be incorporated into amphibian conservation plans.