Anatomy of a Biodiversity Hotspot: Marsupial, Rodent, and Bat Diversity in Northwestern Argentina

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ANATOMY OF A BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT: MARSUPIAL, RODENT, AND BAT DIVERSITY IN NORTHWESTERN ARGENTINAA three-year survey of marsupials, rodents, and bats in northwestern Argentina will be conducted. This is the southernmost part of the Tropical Andes Hotspot designated by Conservation International as the biologically richest area in the world when data on plants, amphibians, mammals, birds, and reptiles are considered together, supporting an exceptional concentration of endemic species. The region also is considered "Vulnerable," "Regionally Outstanding" biologically, and has been given the Highest Priority at both an International and Regional Scale by the World Bank. This biogeographically significant region is largely unexplored biologically. The study area, 469,000 km2, encompasses the high- and low-elevation Andean region and the pre-Andean foothills of the provinces from Jujuy to La Rioja. Major habitats include puna, prepuna, Yungas forest, montane grasslands, Chaco, montane Chaco, and Monte desert. Microhabitat diversity is high and numerous isolated valleys and montane islands exist. The area is a natural corridor for north-south migration of biota and has been hypothesized as a center of diversity for many taxa. It is an ideal area for geographic isolation and subsequent speciation. While the region is being recognized as the most biologically diverse in the world, it also is undergoing exceptional rates of loss of habitat. Economic development activities involving agriculture, overgrazing, tourism, deforestation, mining, dam construction, and oil and gas exploration are placing considerable stress on all habitats. Marsupials, rodents, and bats will be surveyed at numerous localities in northwestern Argentina and voucher specimens will be collected and deposited in museum collections. Data on habitat use, habits, molting, reproduction, and natural history will be recorded. A project database, accessible through the SNOMNH web site, will provide information on identifications, localities, and specimen data. Surveys, checklists, and identification keys will be produced in print and electronic format. New taxa will be described. Research will examine phylogenetic relationships, biogeography, and conservation. Data will aid in choosing sites for preservation and provide baseline information on habitat selection, reproduction, and species composition for major habitats in this threatened region. Related projects include the development of an expedition website, submission of a proposal for an REU supplement, and submission of a proposal for an ISE (Informal Science Education) supplement. The project will include collaborators from the US and Argentina. Argentine and US students will be supported and trained in the field and in the laboratory.