Biotic Survey of Atlantic Coastal Forest Frogs and an Emergent Pathogen Implicated in Amphibian Declines

巴西东部的大西洋海岸森林是世界上最多样化的栖息地之一，并被命名为生物多样性热点，具有最高的保护优先权。Zamudio在巴西的合作研究解决了这个栖息地的多样性的起源和维护。大陆和岛屿青蛙群落的调查数据将用于解决有关该地区沿海和岛屿种群的进化，多样性，保护遗传学和生物地理学的假设。此外，研究小组还将对所有物种进行Batrachochytrium dendrobatim检测，这是一种最近在巴西发现的壶菌病原体，可能对南美洲的无尾两栖动物构成威胁。拟议的生物调查将估计多个大西洋沿海森林站点的组成，有助于了解多样性，物种分布和多样化模式，以及我们对碎片化如何影响社区结构和人口连通性的理解。此外，这项工作将提供一种与两栖动物减少有关的突发传染病的基线数据。最后，该项目增加了国际科学合作，包括培训美国热带生物学研究生和巴西学生在系统学和群体遗传学中应用分子技术。该项目的部分资金由NSF的国际科学与工程办公室提供。

The Atlantic Coastal Forest of eastern Brazil is one of the most diverse habitats in the world, and has been named a biodiversity hot-spot with highest priority for conservation. Zamudio's collaborative research in Brazil addresses the origins and maintenance of diversity in this habitat. Data from surveys of mainland and island frog communities will be used to address hypotheses about the evolution, diversity, conservation genetics, and biogeography of coastal and island populations in this region. In addition, the research team will assay all species for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a chytrid pathogen recently discovered in Brazil that may be a threat to anurans in South America. The proposed biotic survey will estimate composition of multiple Atlantic Coastal Forest sites, contributing to knowledge of diversity, species distributions, and modes of diversification, and our understanding of how fragmentation affects community structure and population connectivity. Additionally, this work will provide baseline data for an emergent infectious disease that has been implicated in amphibian declines. Finally, this project increases international scientific collaborations, including training of US graduate students in tropical biology and Brazilian students in the application of molecular techniques in systematics and population genetics. Partial funding for this project was provided by the Office of International Science and Engineering at NSF.