A multidimensional approach for detecting species patterns in Malagasy vertebrates.

ABSTRACT: The biodiversity of Madagascar is extraordinarily distinctive, diverse, and endangered. It is therefore urgent that steps be taken to document, describe, interpret, and protect this exceptional biota. As a collaborative group of field and laboratory biologists, we employ a suite of methodological and analytical tools to investigate the vertebrate portion of Madagascar's fauna. Given that species are the fundamental unit of evolution, where micro- and macroevolutionary forces converge to generate biological diversity, a thorough understanding of species distribution and abundance is critical for understanding the evolutionary, ecological, and biogeographic forces that have shaped Malagasy vertebrate diversity. We illustrate the means by which we apply Mayr's "three basic tasks" of the syste

SUBMITTER: Yoder AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1131875 | biostudies-literature | 2005 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature