Amphibian species diversification across sky-island and lowland rainforests in a spatial and ecological context: genome-wide and continental transect (2015–2017)

The research project combines multidisciplinary techniques using phylogenomic data, coalescent-based approach and Geographic Information System-based environmental niche modelling. This combined approach will assess how amphibian populations diverge and give rise to new species in biodiversity-rich tropical forest habitats. The principal aim is to study variation across genomes to empirically and rigorously assess species diversity using the coalescent theory, and combined with environmental and ecological traits to address which factors might be responsible for driving and maintaining genetic divergence. A comparative approach of three different forested regions (two distant montane areas and an intervening lowland area) and extreme life-history strategies and habitats will provide general insights into the speciation processes in tropical amphibians. The understanding of the types of processes identified to be important, will allow more general conclusions on species formation in the tropics to be assessed, given the variable ecological characteristics of the model taxa examined.