Artificial water sites increase amphibian resilience in a changing Mediterranean landscape

Amphibians are highly vulnerable to climate change, habitat loss, and fragmentation, particularly in agricultural landscapes, where land use practices are a substantial driver of biodiversity loss. However, in the Mediterranean region, the continuation of traditional land use practices over centuries has shaped the landscape, determining the coexistence of natural and artificial habitats, such as Mediterranean artificial water reserves, that are supposed to exert a positive effect on biodiversity. Our goal was to assess how landscape configuration, land-use heterogeneity, and the presence of artificial water bodies in the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot shape amphibian community composition. Using spatial multi-species occupancy models, we analysed detection/non-detection data from 11 species across 1729 freshwater sites along the entire Apennine Mountain chain in Italy. Our findings indicate that among environmental variables, elevation is the only driver affecting the whole amphibian occupancy patterns. At the species level, the presence of artificial water sites is the factor which contributes the most to amphibian occupancy. Although the majority of species generally showed lower occupancy in artificial sites compared to natural habitats, these structures are capable of increasing amphibian resilience amid increasing droughts and changing climate conditions by modulating the ecological effect of environmental predictors. Amphibian resilience in Mediterranean agricultural landscapes can be strengthened by fostering the coexistence of natural and artificial habitats. The latter sites offer a cost-effective management solution that facilitates positive interactions between biodiversity conservation policies and agricultural stakeholders, supporting broader conservation goals in light of future environmental changes.