Areas of especially high or unique species and genetic diversity, referred to as ?biodiversity hotspots?, are of particular concern for conservation, but are not sufficiently well-known for effective conservation planning. This project will both advance the field of phylogeography and contribute to conservation planning, through development and testing of a novel integrative procedure for predicting species and genetic diversity. Specifically, the research will combine remote sensing, geographic information technology, environmental niche modeling, molecular genetics, and field and museum information to generate models of past distributions of habitats and species and will test the ability of these models to predict contemporary patterns of biodiversity, including locations of biodiversity hot-spots. The research will examine the amphibians and reptiles of the central corridor of the Brazilian Atlantic forest to test the hypothesis that this area functioned as a major refuge for forest species during extreme climates of the late Quaternary, thereby producing areas of unique local diversity and high overall regional diversity. The work entails faunal surveys at 12 forest sites and detailed genetic analyses of 9 species.
This research will generate novel information about molecular and taxonomic diversity. The Brazilian Atlantic forest region has high rates of deforestation and a poorly described fauna, so the results not only will test a new method for predicting sites of uniquely valuable species and genetic diversity, but also will inform regional conservation planning. The project extends scientific linkages with Brazilian universities through cross-country training of students and postdocs, enhancement of biotic collections in Brazil and the US, and collaborative field, lab, and analytical work. In-country workshops will engage local conservation NGOs to maximize impact on regional conservation planning efforts, while broader public outreach is achieved through a project-specific website. The project is co-funded by Division of Environmental Biology and Office of International Science and Engineering.
