U.S.-Costa Rica: Comparative Biogeography: Phenotypic and Genetic Diversity in Two Wide-Ranging Neotropical Frogs [Dissertation Enhancement, J. M. Robertson, Ph.D. Candidate]

0506043Zamudio/RobertsonThis Americas Program的论文研究将由康奈尔大学的Kelly R. Zamudio博士指导，哥斯达黎加圣何塞大学的Federico Bolanos Vives博士赞助，支持Jeanne M. Robertson女士。罗伯逊女士的目标是研究形成多样性地理分布的模式和潜在过程。她将研究哥斯达黎加和巴拿马两种新热带青蛙的遗传、表型和行为多样性模式。本研究的目的是了解两种常见的低地蛙，Agalychnis callidryas和Hyla ebraccata，它们在区域分化程度上存在显著差异的变异因素。本研究结合种群遗传学、青蛙发声分析、颜色和图案多态性，探讨了变异、基因流动和性选择在区域和局部种群结构中的相对作用。罗伯逊女士将研究配偶选择中使用的视觉信号，以确定性选择在维持多样性方面的作用。这项研究的一个重要优势在于其比较性质和地理覆盖范围，这将有助于深入了解该地区的生殖隔离、定向迁移模式和历史生物地理学。这项研究的一个更广泛的影响是，与哥斯达黎加爬行动物学家正在进行的合作将为该地区持续和长期的研究奠定坚实的基础。

0506043Zamudio/RobertsonThis Americas Program dissertation research will support Ms. Jeanne M. Robertson under the supervision of Dr. Kelly R. Zamudio of Cornell University and under the sponsorship of Dr. Federico Bolanos Vives, of the University of Costa Rica, San Jose. Ms. Robertson aims to investigate the patterns and underlying processes shaping the geographic distribution of diversity. She will be examining patterns of genetic, phenotypic, and behavioral diversity in two Neotropical frogs in Costa Rica and Panama. The goal of this research is to understand the determinants of variation in two common, lowland frogs, Agalychnis callidryas and Hyla ebraccata, that vary significantly in their degree of regional differentiation. This research combines population genetics, analyses of frog vocalization, and color and pattern polymorphism to investigate the relative roles of vicariance, gene flow, and sexual selection in structuring populations regionally and locally. Ms. Robertson will investigate visual signals used in mate choice to determine the role of sexual selection in maintaining diversity. A significant strength of this study lies in its comparative nature and geographical coverage, which will provide insight into reproductive isolation, directional migration patterns, and historical biogeography of the region. A broader impact of the research is that the ongoing collaboration with Costa Rican herpetologists will form a strong foundation for continued and long-term research in the region.