RUI: Collaborative Research: Survey and Analysis of the Angolan Herpetofauna

RUI：合作研究：安哥拉爬行动物调查与分析

• 批准号: 1556255
• 负责人: Aaron Bauer
• 金额: $ 31.27万
• 依托单位: Villanova University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-06-01 至 2021-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1556255&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Collaborative; Research; Survey; Analysis

Angola is among the largest countries in Africa, and its landscapes vary from arid desert to equatorial rainforest. This landscape diversity results in high, but poorly documented, levels of biodiversity in many groups, including amphibians and reptiles. This project will increase understanding of the diversity and evolution of Angola's amphibians and reptiles by analyzing species' distributions, abundances, genetics, and anatomy. Based on these data, undocumented species will be identified, characterized and formally described. Two major hypotheses will be tested: whether arid-adapted species of S.W. Angola are descended from East African ancestors that migrated during periods of dry climate, and whether species restricted to the Angolan highlands are ancient descendants of formerly widespread ancestors. Researchers will also test how climate factors affect the degree to which malaria-causing parasites specialize on particular lizard species. This project will also train students in field and laboratory methods, as well as data dissemination and analysis. Public outreach efforts will include development of short video documentaries and English- and Portuguese-language guides to Angola's amphibians and reptiles.Surveys of the Angolan herpetofauna will be informed by current knowledge gained from the less than 8,000 specimens that currently exist in museums worldwide. A total of six expeditions throughout Angola will be undertaken over a period of three years, with each focusing on a region identified as poorly sampled based on the provenance of extant museum specimens or as key sampling areas for addressing taxonomic problems. Specimens obtained in survey efforts will be subjected to collection and analysis of ecological, genetic, and morphological data. Molecular systematic analyses of the genetic data will identify cryptic species and targeted high-throughput sequencing will be used to test biogeographic hypotheses. Morphological data collection will include external morphological examination as well as high-resolution CT scanning to identify diagnostic internal anatomical features of species under study. Ecological niche modeling of species' ranges will be used to explore patterns of faunal turnover and identify conservation priorities. All biodiversity data generated in the course of the project, including point localities, DNA sequences, and CT scans, will be made available to the broader scientific community. Results of the research will be disseminated in numerous publications focused on taxonomic revision, biogeography, morphological diversity, and/or parasite evolutionary ecology of the Angolan herpetofauna.

安哥拉是非洲最大的国家之一，其景观多种多样，从干旱的沙漠到赤道雨林。这种景观多样性导致许多群体（包括两栖动物和爬行动物）的生物多样性水平很高，但记录很少。该项目将通过分析物种的分布、丰度、遗传学和解剖学，增进对安哥拉两栖动物和爬行动物多样性和进化的了解。根据这些数据，将识别、表征和正式描述未记录的物种。将测试两个主要假设：适应干旱的西南物种是否。安哥拉是在干旱气候时期迁徙的东非祖先的后裔，仅限于安哥拉高地的物种是否是以前分布广泛的祖先的古老后裔。研究人员还将测试气候因素如何影响引起疟疾的寄生虫专门针对特定蜥蜴物种的程度。该项目还将对学生进行现场和实验室方法以及数据传播和分析方面的培训。公共宣传工作将包括制作短视频纪录片以及安哥拉两栖动物和爬行动物的英语和葡萄牙语指南。对安哥拉爬行动物的调查将利用从世界各地博物馆目前存在的不到 8,000 个标本中获得的最新知识。三年内将在安哥拉各地进行总共六次考察，每次考察的重点是根据现有博物馆标本的来源确定为采样质量较差的地区，或作为解决分类学问题的关键采样区域。调查工作中获得的标本将用于生态、遗传和形态数据的收集和分析。对遗传数据的分子系统分析将识别神秘物种，并且有针对性的高通量测序将用于测试生物地理学假设。形态学数据收集将包括外部形态学检查以及高分辨率 CT 扫描，以识别所研究物种的诊断性内部解剖特征。物种分布范围的生态位模型将用于探索动物群更替模式并确定保护重点。项目过程中生成的所有生物多样性数据，包括地点、DNA 序列和 CT 扫描，都将提供给更广泛的科学界。研究结果将在众多出版物中传播，重点关注安哥拉爬行动物的分类学修订、生物地理学、形态多样性和/或寄生虫进化生态学。

项目成果

A new species of thick-toed gecko (Pachydactylus) from Serra da Neve and surrounding rocky areas of southwestern Angola

来自安哥拉西南部塞拉达尼夫和周围岩石地区的一种新种厚趾壁虎（Pachydactylus）

• 发表时间: 2023-04
• 期刊: Vertebrate zoology
• 影响因子: 2.1
• 作者: Marques, M.P.;Parrinha, D.;Ceriaco, L.M.P.;Brennan, I.G.;Heinicke, M.P.;Bauer, A.M.
• 通讯作者: Bauer, A.M.