Understanding the forces responsible for generating genetic and ecological diversity across a biogeographic region is critical to understanding the origin and distribution of species. One approach is to use comparisons of evolutionary history to determine patterns of biodiversity and infer the processes governing these distributions. An understanding of the spatial pattern of genetic diversity is critical for evaluating the affect of geography, ecology, and history in determining spatial distributions of organisms.
The proposed research focuses on multiple, co-distributed amphibian species in the southern Appalachians and Gulf Coastal Plain. The investigator takes a molecular phylogenetic and population genetic approach in combination with spatially explicit ecological analyses in a geographic information systems (GIS) framework to address questions in biogeography. This approach is both novel and rigorous, and uses techniques developed during the investigator's postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California at Berkeley. This approach will improve knowledge of geographic distributions and phylogenetic relationships among populations of amphibians in the southeastern United States and lead to a better understanding of regional biogeography and biodiversity. In addition, the research is important for conservation because phylogeographic analyses often reveal the existence of hidden lineages; this is especially true for amphibians. The proposed research is unique in focusing on multiple species of amphibians that span the southern Appalachians and Gulf Coastal Plain bioregions. The work has broad significance in terms of understanding the relative impact of glacial refugia, dispersal ability, and climate on the distribution of genetic variation within and among amphibian species of the southeastern United States.
The proposed research provides numerous opportunities for the career development of undergraduate students and graduate students. Students can assist the investigator during field collections, museum preparations, DNA sequencing, and GIS analyses. The research will strengthen relations between the departments of biological sciences and geography at the University of Alabama. Collaborations will likely result with state and federal employees in national forests and parks.
