Project Summary

Our project examines the impact of geological and climatic events on the evolutionary history of animal and plant species in Patagonia (southern South America). Unlike other parts of the world (e.g., North America and Europe) very little is known about the role of historical events such as glacial cycles, mountain building, and river captures on the speciation and demographic histories of Patagonian species. This intellectual void restricts our understanding of the processes responsible for generating biological diversity in temperate South America and limits current conservation efforts. What is needed is a broad survey of the evolutionary histories of several taxonomically distinct species (or species complexes) distributed across Patagonia, an effort that will require a strong international partnership.

Our project will focus on reconstructing phylogeographic histories of at least 16 distinct species (or species complexes) that occupy the Patagonian region of southern Argentina and Chile. We will use molecular markers (mtDNA and nuclear DNA sequences and microsatellites) and morphometric data to reconstruct population histories of three fish species, two large complexes of lizard species, two frog species, two freshwater crab species, and two plant species.