Meeting Abstract

69-5  Saturday, Jan. 5 14:30 – 14:45  Living the “High” Life: The Morphological, Kinematic, Ecological and Genetic Variation between Papuan Microhylid Frogs at Lower and Higher Elevations HILL, EH*; JARMAN, MJ; BUTLER, MA; University of Hawaii; University of Hawaii; University of Hawaii hille7@hawaii.edu http://butlerlab.org

Papua New Guinea is home to over 300 species of microhylid frogs. These species inhabit environments from coastal environments to to the Western Highlands Province that begins at an elevation of 1,677 meters. We explored adaptation to life at high elevation by comparing ecomorphology of frogs between low and high elevation communities. We collected morphology, performance, and ecology data from seven species in a high-elevation community at Rondon Ridge (Western Highlands Province) and compared ecomorphology with lower-elevation communities, all within a phylogenetic context. We analyzed hindlimb, forelimb, toepad morphology and jumping kinematics in relation to microhabitat use. We sequenced 2 mitochondrial and 3 nuclear genes (Cytb, BDNF, ND4, NCX-1 and SIA) and included these highlands species into a larger microhylid phylogeny. Comparison between microhylid assemblages at different elevations could bring to light functional adaptations for high elevation as well as illuminating the patterns of diversification in the lesser-known central Paupan region.