Survey of Amphibians, Reptiles, and Small Mammals in the Transitional and Dry Forests of Madagascar

该项目将继续对马达加斯加西部干旱森林中的陆地脊椎动物群落进行调查，并将注意力转向过渡森林和一些新发现的成分未知的偏远山地森林岛屿。在36个月的时间里，将对这些不同生境中的24个地点进行调查，使用的方法在早期对马达加斯加热带雨林栖息地的研究中取得了成功。马达加斯加西部的干旱森林含有一些世界上最有趣和最罕见的动植物物种，目前人们对这些森林的生物多样性知之甚少。干旱森林的退化和威胁程度至少与热带雨林相同，随着对资源需求的增加，它们的破坏正在加速。这项研究的主要目的是：1)确定高度多样性的地区，以帮助保护区的发展；2)记录因特网上的物种分布；3)描述可能遇到的新物种；4)编写实地鉴定指南；5)获取用于系统研究的标本；6)培训马达加斯加学生、科学家和资源管理人员；7)在马达加斯加建立一个国家自然历史博物馆。这些结果与早期研究的数据相结合，将给出马达加斯加大多数陆地脊椎动物的多样性的全面图景，这将对马达加斯加未来的保护规划至关重要。|H H+(á▀áG？F G(n H H+(d‘╔@--a？▀S u m a r y in f o r m a t i o n(ááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá))(»ááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá=áao？h？+‘？`0╗？O 2 8D P\d L x‗-║áááááááááááááááááááááááá：Microsoft Word

This project will continue a survey of communities of terrestrial vertebrates in the dry forests of western Madagascar, and to shift attention to transitional forests and some newly identified and remote montane forest islands of unknown composition. Twenty-four sites in these various habitats will be surveyed over a 36-month period, using methods employed successfully in an earlier study of rainforest habitats on Madagascar. The arid forests of western Madagascar contain some of the most interesting and unusual species of plants and animals in the world, and the biodiversity of these forests is at present poorly understood. The dry forests are degraded and threatened to at least the same degree as the rainforests, and their destructionis accelerating as the demand for resources increases. The primary purposes of this study are to 1) identify areas of high diversity in order to assist in the development of protected areas, 2) document species distributions on the Internet, 3) describe new species that may be encountered, 4) produce guides for field identification, 5) obtain specimens for systematic studies, 6) train Malagasy students, scientists, and resource managers, and 7) develop a national Museum of Natural History in Madagascar. The results, when combined with data from the earlier studies, will give a comprehensive picture of the diversity of most of Madagascar's terrestrial vertebrates, which will be essential to conservation planning for Madagascar into the future. | H H + (á▀áG À F G ( n H H + ( d ' ╔ @ -- aݪ ▀ S u m m a r y I n f o r m a t i o n ( áááááááááááá ( » áááááááááááá áááááááááááá áááááááááááá ªá = ÓaOÀ h¢µ +'ª`0 ╗   ª O 2 8 D P \ d l x ‗ Ñ ║ áááááááááááááááááááááááá Meredith's MacHD:Applications:Microsoft Word:Templates:Normal