Collaborative Research: Systematics and Adaptive Radiation of Papuan Asterophryine Frogs

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In the past decade, the New Guinea region has been found to be a mega biodiversity hotspot for amphibians, containing one of the most ecologically diverse groups of amphibians in the world, the asterphryine frogs. Asterophryine diversity is likely influenced by New Guinea's unique geological history. These accretion events are fairly well dated, allowing the investigators to calibrate biological diversification to geological events and to determine the geological context in which evolutionary novelties arose. This system is not only ideal for studying how species multiply but also offers the unique opportunity to infer the relative order in which important processes occurred. This project will produce a comprehensive phylogenetic tree for the asterphryine frogs, assessing the geological conditions required for species to multiply, and determining whether natural selection preceded species diversification or vice versa. These studies will identify the mechanistic basis for this adaptive radiation of species, and will provide valuable insights for understanding the factors which promote biodiversity in all living groups. The impacts of this research are numerous. The project will: (1) provide the first detailed evolutionary study on any portion of the remarkably diverse but poorly studied New Guinea fauna; (2) include educational field trips for elementary-aged school children, allowing them to learn about biodiversity, amphibians, functional morphology, and conservation from working scientists; (3) train graduate and undergraduate students in research, teaching, public outreach, and professional skills; (4) recruit underrepresented minorities and women in the sciences; and (5) strengthen scientific training in a traditionally disadvantaged region.