REU: Systematic Investigations of Cuban and Hispaniolan Herpetofauna

热带地区迅速的森林砍伐导致许多物种灭绝。在西印度群岛，由于物种分布有限和人口不断增加，这一问题更加复杂。西印度两栖动物和爬行动物（570 sp.）特别容易灭绝，因为大多数物种仅限于每个岛屿内的小区域。新物种继续以很高的速度被发现，这表明我们对实际物种多样性的了解是不完整的。古巴和伊斯帕尼奥拉岛是西印度群岛最大的两个岛屿，拥有最多的物种，却拥有最不为人所知的两栖动物和爬行动物。本研究的第一个目标是通过在古巴和伊斯帕尼奥拉岛鲜为人知的地区进行探索性实地研究，记录两栖动物和爬行动物的现有物种多样性。这一方面包括对新物种的正式科学描述，以及对先前描述的物种提供新的或更正信息的研究。第二个目标是使用现代基因技术来揭示物种的谱系关系。这些信息对于检验进化生物学领域的现有理论和发展新的理论是有价值的。它还将有助于了解居住在西印度群岛的许多动植物物种是如何起源的。

Rapid deforestation in the tropics is resulting in the extinction of many species. This problem is compounded in the West Indies by the limited distributions of species and an ever increasing human population. West Indian amphibians and reptiles (570 sp.) are especially susceptible to extinction because most species are restricted to small areas within each island. New species continue to be discovered at a high rate indicating that our knowledge of the actual species diversity is incomplete. Cuba and Hispaniola are the two largest islands in the West Indies, harbor the greatest number of species, and have the least known amphibian and reptile faunas. The first goal of this research is to document the existing species diversity of amphibians and reptiles by conducting exploratory field studies in poorly known regions of Cuba and Hispaniola. This aspect involves the formal scientific description of new species as well as studies that provide new or corrected information on previously described species. The second goal is to use modern genetic techniques to uncover the genealogical relationships of the species. This information is valuable for testing existing theories and developing new ones in the field of evolutionary biology. It will also help in understanding how the many species of plants and animals inhabiting the islands of the West Indies originated.