DISSERTATION RESEARCH: ROAD MEDIATED DIVERGENCE IN AN AMPHIBIAN

不断增长的道路网络是我们自然景观的特征。临时湿地经常受到道路径流的巨大影响，使两栖动物暴露在潜在有毒水平的污染物中。由于种群对人类改变的环境的反应可能会发生巨大变化，因此预测这些反应的能力关键取决于解决当地种群水平的变化。这项研究的目的是研究道路对湿地两栖动物林蛙的长期影响。研究人员将结合基因组学、组织学和化学方法来评估当地繁殖成年林蛙的种群结构，包括遗传组成、年龄和径流污染物的生物积累。从这种方法中获得的洞察力将大大提高我们对路边环境长期命运的理解。这项研究扩展了生态学和进化生物学的新兴综合，同时解决了一个突出的环境挑战。调查人员将继续参与耶鲁皮博迪博物馆的“进化”课后项目。evolution为来自纽黑文公立学校的市中心青少年提供课后科学教育。该提案的一部分资金将用于支持两名高中生在evoltions的学期实习。联合调查小组将向州政府机构以及当地保护组织（包括土地保护组织、湿地协会和新英格兰南部土壤科学家协会）提交结果。

A growing network of roads characterizes our natural landscapes. Temporary wetlands are often dramatically influenced by runoff from roads, exposing amphibian species to potentially toxic levels of contaminants. Because populations can vary dramatically in their responses to human altered environments, the ability to predict these responses depends critically on addressing local population level variation. The goal of this research is to examine the long-term consequences of roads on a wetland amphibian, the wood frog. The investigators will combine genomic, histological, and chemical approaches to evaluate local population structure of breeding adult wood frogs with respect to genetic composition, age, and bioaccumulation of runoff contaminants. Insight gained from this approach will significantly advance our understanding of the long-term fate of roadside environments. This research extends an emerging synthesis of ecology and evolutionary biology while simultaneously addressing a preeminent environmental challenge. The investigators will continue their involvement in the Evolutions after-school program at the Yale Peabody Museum. Evolutions provides after-school exposure to science for inner city youth from New Haven public schools. A portion of funding from this proposal will support semester internships for two high school students in Evolutions. The co-PI will present results to state agencies along with local conservation groups including a land preserve, a wetland society, and the Society of Soil Scientists of Southern New England.