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Résumé :
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Geographical distribution and ecological affinities of amphibians in Tunisia. Amphibian diversity is in rapid worldwide decline for a number of different causes including habitat loss and fragmentation as well as the environment contamination and climate change. For these reasons, amphibians have become the foci of conservation policies and research projects. The aims of this study are to summarize available literature data on amphibians of Tunisia, collect new field data and draw up species' distribution maps. Amphibians were observed or collected on 252 stations, covering most of the Tunisian territory. Precise details are given on the geographical distribution and ecological status of the seven species of amphibians in Tunisia with new data on the ecology and distribution of three rare species Pleurodeles nebulosus, Hyla meridionalis and Bufo biffo. Geographical distribution analysis of the seven amphibians species present in Tunisia and the localization of their populations in the different bioclimatic zones reflect their ecological amplitude and their requirements towards climatic factors. Their spatial distributions are closely related to their biogeographical affinities. It shows the opposition between palaearctic species whose distribution is restricted to northern part of Tunisia and the other species of North African or Mediterranean affinities having a larger distribution.
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