Abstract
The study of amphibian conservation is urgent and broad. In order to understand and act in the preservation of this taxon, we must deepen the studies in the different facets of the amphibian biology, from the most basic questions, such as taxonomy, behavior, natural history, ecology and evolution, but also to investigate the aspects more directly related to their threats, such as environmental changes (fragmentation and climate change), lethal pathologies and invasive species. It is in this integrative context that the present proposal fits. Our study team is multidisciplinary and must investigate different aspects of the biology of amphibians (essentially anurans), always with conservation in the background. In this project, we also foresee the collection and storage of a large amount of biological material (animals, audio and video recordings, photographs, cultures of the chytrid fungus, skin swabs and tissues for molecular analyses) that will be available to the Brazilian scientific community even after the end of the project. At the same time, in addition to producing data and scientific articles, we also propose the production of outreach material (a book of the Brazilian amphibians), so that the results can be used in other types of production and also we will be transferring the knowledge generated in this project to the non-academic community. Still, unprecedented in our group, we should also investigate the interaction between humans and amphibians, to also better understand the Brazilian population and enhance their engagement in amphibian conservation. The project also provides for the training of human resources to work with the theme of conservation, in different lines of research, especially in studies with chytridiomycosis (still lacking dedicated laboratories in Brazil), with invasive species of amphibians, or even with animal communication, where we will address novel (or rarely explored) lines in Brazil (for example, the one focused on the hearing of frogs, and not on sound production, as more commonly addressed). Thus, this project is ambitious and innovative in several aspects and must, with the great commitment of a specialized team, contribute to issues ranging from natural history to amphibian conservation. (AU)
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