Systematics, Distribution and Ecology of Argentine Mammals: A Proposal to Collect Mammals in Argentina - "Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Mammology"

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Much of South America has been undergoing rapid habitat change due to the activities associated with habitat disruption, increasing human population densities, and the conversion of habitats into agricultural and ranching areas. The entire continent is moving from what was a pristine situation four hundred years ago to one where scientists are predicting waves of extinction to occur some time in the next century. This potentially critical loss in numbers of species of plants and animals is predicted to have global ramifications in its effect on weather patterns, the cohesiveness of ecosystems, and the storehouse of genetic information that is contained within the tremendous numbers of species that are found in tropical and extratropical habitats of South America. This proposal is designed to assess the current status of mammal populations in Argentina. Argentina includes a vast array of the tropical and non-tropical habitats that are found in South America. Argentina contains almost 40 percent of all species found in South America, and by determining how these species are being affected in their distribution and abundance throughout the country, an understanding can be gained as to how the mammalian fauna might be changing throughout the continent. The research is designed to examine patterns of species occurrence, reproductive status, relative population density, and general distribution of the mammals of Argentina. In particular, possible trends in species or population loss will be compared with data that were gathered in the early 1900s or the late 1800s. Information will also be collected on the genetic composition of mammals and the ectoparasite community that is associated with the mammals. This information will have direct bearing on studies of the genetic relatedness of the mammals of South America, on their rates of evolution, and on their possibilities as vector sources for diseases. The collections of mammals that will be made throughout Argentina will provide foundational data by which future trends in species abundance and distribution can be determined. These collections will be deposited in Argentine and U.S. museums and are expected to provide the necessary data to produce field guides and popular and technical literature on the mammals of Argentina as well as provide base-line information that will help develop a conservation ethic in Argentina. It is hoped that these kinds of materials will prove useful to other areas of South America as well.