Phylogeography

Madagascar has long been recognized as an island of exceptional floral and faunal diversity. Lying some 300+ miles off the east coast of Africa, it has been completely isolated from other landmasses for the last 88 million years. The diversity and levels of endemism (above 95% in many groups) are unparalleld. For this reason, Madagascar has generated considerable interest among evolutionary biologists who wish to understand the extent to which geographic and environmental constraints influence organismal evolution.

In collaboration with Steve Goodman (The Field Museum), this NSF funded work seeks to investigate the role that rivers and other geological features have played in generating patterns of vertebrate diversity in western Madagascar. This region of Madagascar is geologically more complex than the east, leading us to hypothesize that it will be characterized by unique patterns of micro-endemism. This work is particularly important as western Madagascar is under severe and rapidly advancing human pressures, and thus the need for biological inventories and subsequent conservation action are urgent.

Presently this work focuses on reptiles (Zonosaurus, Calumma) and will likely expand within the year to include some small mammal groups.