Under this Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Project, Ms. Lucinda Lawson will conduct further research in Tanzania in the exploration of genetic variation within and between populations of African reed frogs and incorporates spatial distribution and landscape characteristics to understand the biological and evolutionary processes that have produced the observed patterns of variation. This project investigates the population genetics of three co-occurring montane members of the genus Hyperolius, which have an endemic diversification within these mountains. Preliminary results indicate that populations show significant structure throughout this area, with a clear pattern of Northward colonization, potentially mitigated by climate cycles.
The Eastern Arc Mountains are a Conservation International Biodiversity Hot Spot, with a substantial diversity of amphibians, almost all of which are endemic to this tiny area. Lawson will sample localities predicted by bioclim models in Diva-GIS from the paraphyletic ?break zone? between haplotypes. She will also extend this work through the highlands of Malawi to sample populations thought to be outgroups to all Eastern Arc populations. During this time Lawson will be working with W. Ngalason (Tanzanian PhD student) on elevational patterns of Eastern Arc amphibians in the field and in the collections at the University of Dar es Salaam, and will conduct survey work of understudied mountains with the East African Montane Herpetology working group, of which she and W. Ngalason are members. This study will be one of the first to combine ecological and phylogenetic information for a genus of African frogs to assess the effects of historic habitat fragmentation on populations. This system is ideal for combining climatic/landscape modeling and cutting-edge molecular techniques to investigate the evolutionary processes that helped shape variation in a poorly known, megadiverse and threatened system. Such studies have important implications for conservation planning.
This research program has a strong focus on working with local Tanzanian researchers and students, providing training in sampling, monitoring techniques, and population genetics. Pressure for agricultural lands, extensive logging of forests and other activities in Tanzania have drastically reduced the available montane habitat in this tropical region and developing a strong local involvement in monitoring and conservation is the key to keeping this system alive. Though the primary focus of this study is to enhance our understanding of the dynamics of a ?meta-population? in a naturally fragmented landscape, the researchers are also collecting information on communities as well as distributional, ecological, and behavioral data. Upon completion of this work, all resulting scientific papers will be submitted to the Tanzanian research council (COSTECH) and the Tanzanian Wildlife Department (TAWIRI), as dictated by collection permits and published in both US journals and African Journals to allow access to these findings for the researchers who need them most. In Illinois, Lawson has given talks on evolution, climate change and conservation, and amphibian declines to grade and high school children and groups at the Field Museum. This research program will be extended to include a student mentorship project through the Illinois Math & Science Academy and University of Chicago undergraduates will be incorporated in the analysis of genetic patterns and modeling of processes, providing a valuable research experience to potential future evolutionary and conservation biologists.
