RUI: Molecular Phylogenetics and Biogeography of the Poison Frogs (Family Dendrobatidae)

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This award is to fund an investigation of the systematics and biogeography of the poison frogs (family Dendrobatidae) in Peru and other parts of Amazonia. The award will fund the collection of specimens in the field, and the analysis of DNA from tissue samples in the laboratory. Tissue samples (toe clips) will be collected from poison frogs from remote parts of the Peruvian rainforest. These and previously obtained samples from other regions of Amazonia will be used to obtain DNA sequences from six gene regions via molecular genetic analysis. The DNA sequence variation among populations and species will be used in a phylogenetic analysis of the systematic relationships of the poison frog family. Information on DNA sequence variation among populations will also be used to investigate associations between genetic divergence and geographic barriers to gene flow in Amazonia. Finally, the information obtained on the systematic relationships of the poison frogs will be used to investigate evolutionary associations between life history and ecological characteristics of the poison frogs, including parental care, egg and clutch size, tadpole deposition pool size, tadpole cannibalism, mating systems, and sexual dimorphism. This research will provide the first thorough analysis of systematic relationships in the poison frog family. It will also provide an important contribution to recent debates about why the Amazon River basin supports such a huge number of species. Most of these debates have centered on the contribution of specific geographic barriers to genetic divergence, and this research will directly address the relevant hypotheses. The systematic results from this research will be used to investigate important questions concerning the evolutionary ecology of the poison frogs in a comparative framework.