Why are tropical mountains unique? Herpetological inventories and evolutionary biogeography in the montane Brazilian Atlantic forests

栖息地转换和加速的气候变化对山地地区构成了前所未有的威胁，导致对这些地区生物多样性的担忧加剧。由于其狭窄的热生态位，热带山地两栖动物和爬行动物特别容易受到环境变化的影响。因此，研究导致山区物种多样性和持久性的机制势在必行。该项目将研究巴西大西洋森林中的15种蜥蜴和玻璃蛙，以检验地形复杂性和气候稳定性对山地地区物种多样性和种群持久性的影响这一假说。该项目结合了13个研究较少的地点的清单、基于气候的物种分布模型、DNA测序提供的分子研究和生理分析。了解热带山区特有的过程将促进对生物多样性格局的研究，并为全球生物多样性预测做出贡献。实地和实验室数据将能够重新评估物种边界，识别新物种和形态上神秘的谱系。生理数据将直接为与气候有关的灭绝风险下的分类群保护提供信息。该项目将在一个为少数族裔服务的城市校园中，每年为三名本科生、一名研究生和一名博士后提供教育和研究机会，大大增加未被充分代表的和贫困学生接触到跨学科、协作和实地工作的机会。

Habitat conversion and accelerated climate change pose an unprecedented threat to montane regions, leading to increased concern for biodiversity in these areas. Given their narrow thermal niches, tropical montane amphibians and reptiles are particularly vulnerable to environmental change. Investigating the mechanisms responsible for diversification and species persistence in mountains is therefore imperative. This project will study 15 species of lizards and glassfrogs in the Brazilian Atlantic forest to test the hypothesis that topographic complexity and climatic stability are responsible for diversification and population persistence in montane regions. The project combines inventories in 13 poorly-studied sites, climate-based models of species distributions, molecular studies afforded by DNA sequencing, and physiological assays.Understanding the processes that underlie endemism in tropical mountains will advance studies of biodiversity patterns and contribute to biodiversity prediction worldwide. Field and laboratory data will enable reassessments of species boundaries, identifying new species and morphologically cryptic lineages. Physiological data will directly inform conservation of taxa under risk of climate-related extinction. This project will provide educational and research opportunities for three undergraduates per year, one graduate student, and one postdoctoral associate in a minority-serving urban campus, significantly increasing exposure of underrepresented and underprivileged students to trans-disciplinary, collaborative, field-based work.