REU: Systematic Investigations of Cuban and Hispaniolan Herpetofauna

热带森林的迅速砍伐正在导致许多物种的灭绝。在西印度群岛，物种有限的分布和不断增加的人口使这一问题变得更加复杂。西印度群岛两栖和爬行动物(570 sp.)它们特别容易灭绝，因为大多数物种都局限在每个岛屿的小区域。新物种继续以高速度被发现，这表明我们对实际物种多样性的了解是不完整的。古巴和伊斯帕尼奥拉是西印度群岛最大的两个岛屿，物种数量最多，两栖和爬行动物动物群最少为人所知。这项研究的第一个目标是通过在古巴和伊斯帕尼奥拉鲜为人知的地区进行探索性实地研究，记录两栖动物和爬行动物现有的物种多样性。这方面涉及对新物种的正式科学描述，以及提供关于先前描述的物种的新的或更正的信息的研究。第二个目标是使用现代遗传技术来揭示该物种的系谱关系。这些信息对于检验现有的理论和开发进化生物学领域的新理论是有价值的。这也将有助于理解西印度群岛上的许多动植物物种是如何起源的。

Rapid deforestation in the tropics is resulting in the extinction of many species. This problem is compounded in the West Indies by the limited distributions of species and an ever increasing human population. West Indian amphibians and reptiles (570 sp.) are especially susceptible to extinction because most species are restricted to small areas within each island. New species continue to be discovered at a high rate indicating that our knowledge of the actual species diversity is incomplete. Cuba and Hispaniola are the two largest islands in the West Indies, harbor the greatest number of species, and have the least known amphibian and reptile faunas. The first goal of this research is to document the existing species diversity of amphibians and reptiles by conducting exploratory field studies in poorly known regions of Cuba and Hispaniola. This aspect involves the formal scientific description of new species as well as studies that provide new or corrected information on previously described species. The second goal is to use modern genetic techniques to uncover the genealogical relationships of the species. This information is valuable for testing existing theories and developing new ones in the field of evolutionary biology. It will also help in understanding how the many species of plants and animals inhabiting the islands of the West Indies originated.