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

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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.