Online first articles

Amphibians are one of the most endangered groups of vertebrates, and they have key ecological roles in freshwater ecosystems and linking the aquatic and terrestrial environments. Still, studies on how amphibian species loss can alter freshwater ecosystem structure and functioning are scarce. This review summarizes the results of 129 studies exploring the effects of amphibians on freshwater communities (algae, zooplankton and macroinvertebrates) and food webs, as well as key ecosystem processes (leaf litter decomposition, phytoplankton and periphyton accrual, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem metabolism). Most studies (71%) focused on anuran species and less so on urodeles (21%) or both groups (8%). While we found some general patterns, species-specific characteristics often induced different outcomes. The high variety of results suggests that amphibians should be prioritized in future experimental studies if we are to understand the ecological consequences of species loss in this vulnerable group.