By analyzing the morphological and genetic differences among populations of species of frogs in the high Andes in Peru by cladistic methods, it will be possible to determine the evolutionary relationships of five lineages of frogs. Once this has been accomplished, repetitive patterns of species formation and biogeography will be compared with existing data on historic patterns of climatic and geologic changes. The results will provide an interpretation of how such changes affected the speciation and distributions of the frogs and will provide a basis for comparison with other groups of organisms.
