Our planet is currently experiencing an alarming rate of species disappearance, commonly referred to as the 'Biodiversity Crisis.' An example of this is the observance of decline in frog population density around the world, and hence the increased possibility of species extinction. It is urgent that biologists understand why this is happening. To address this we must first know how many species are living currently. Furthermore, we must assess the historical relationships among existing species if we are to understand the factors contributing to their origin and current distributions.
The present proposal is to decipher relationships in a large group of South and Central American frogs, the genus Leptodactylus. This group of frogs includes about 70 species in four lineages. We know the four lineages were already present and differentiated from each other about 65-70 million years ago, but we do not know the relationships within or among the groups. These frogs exhibit an array of different reproductive strategies that undoubtedly has contributed to their success and survival over the last several million years. Deciphering the relationships among these frogs represents the first step to understanding the history of their reproductive strategies.
We will use a variety of molecular techniques with the purpose of collecting genetic data (DNA sequences) to assess relationships. The genetic data will be integrated with previously available and newly gathered morphological data. The project is designed to give undergraduate science students the opportunity to learn molecular techniques, morphological methodologies, and statistical models within a participatory creative process of scientific inquiry.
