Dear Thilina Surasinghe and Forum: Thank you for opening a discussion about ecology. This would seem to be an excellent topic for getting down to basics, and the specific examples you are considering might just be a specific focus through which clear principles can be derived (or re-stated). I hope that I can learn the answers to some of your critical questions from some of the 8,000 subscribers to ecolog.
I would also like to hear comments regarding (however, your questions should have first priority): a. the forms of isolation and the corresponding characteristics of the species that occupy such distinct habitats that might be found within the boundaries of your observations. b. how diversity varies within the habitat (and what defines the habitat); that is, is diversity higher near ecotones or nearer the "center" of habitats (rainforest, Sri Lanka, or any subdivision thereof)? c. theoretical and empirical foundations for the answers to each of your questions. I suspect that you just might be onto a means for clarifying something very fundamental in evolution; if so, I hope you and your students will persist until you win a Nobel Prize or other real or symbolic recognition for your work. As next year is Darwin's bi-centennial, such a revelation would be most timely. I look forward to reading the answers to your questions, and hope you will share those which you may receive off-list. Also, Please share the book(s) you learn about that answer your questions. Mostly, however, I would like to know your answers and those of your students to those questions (and to mine, if you care to comment). WT ----- Original Message ----- From: "Thilina Surasinghe" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2008 8:56 PM Subject: [ECOLOG-L] high diversity of amphibians in the tropical rainforests > Dear all > > I am a Graduate Teaching assistant of Clemson University and I am teaching > herpetology for the undergraduates. With respect to teaching I wish to > address the following question: > > What causes the high diversity of amphibians in tropical rainforests? > I have came across following hypothesis > 1. Habitat/ niche specialization > 2. Habitat heterogeneity in tropical rainforests > 3. High resource availability > 4. Favorable climatic conditions and climatic stability > 5. Presence of rainforest refugia during the last ice age > 6. interspecific competition > > I am searching for literature to use in my teaching now. Please direct me to > suitable publications done on this topic. I am also interested in knowing > how did the above facts affected the high amphibian diversity in Sri Lanka, > which is one of the world richest herpetofaunal hotspot. > > Your insights on these questions are highly appreciated. > > -- > Thilina Dilan Surasinghe (BS in Zoology Colombo, Sri Lanka) > Graduate Teaching Assistant > Dept of Biological Sciences > 132 Long Hall > Clemson University > Clemson, SC 29634-0314, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.9.19/1855 - Release Date: 12/18/2008 10:16 AM
