| | Accession Number | 5002941 |
| | Title | Systematics and zoogeography of amphibian and reptile species |
| | Project Description | Amphibians and reptiles are important but not well understood components of most ecosystems. |
| | As knowledge of their functional roles in specific habitats increases, the need to maintain |
| | expertise within BRD about the systematics, ecology, distribution, and life history of species |
| | concomitantly expands. Understanding what species occur where requires current knowledge of |
| | their taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships. As pressures on amphibian and reptile populations |
| | from habitat degradation and loss accelerate, a solid systematic foundation is essential to the |
| | success of species conservation and management efforts. The predictive value of phylogenetic |
| | hypotheses is becoming more and more obvious to basic research and successful management |
| | activities. This project addresses specific taxonomic/systematic problems based on field research |
| | and morphological investigation of specimens housed in the National Museum. |
| | Keywords | amphibians, amphibians in decline, biodiversity, declining species, frog calls, geographic |
| | distribution, habitat heterogeneity, nomenclature, population viability, reptiles, species |
| | distributions, systematics, taxonomy, tropical forests, world, |
| | Principal | Roy McDiarmid, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: Roy_McDiarmid@usgs.gov; |
| | Investigators |
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