Earth's tropical regions burst with biodiversity. A patch of Michigan forest might be home for 20 kinds of reptiles and amphibians, but a similar patch in the Amazon could hold more than 200!

Researchers are striving to find out why some parts of the world have more species than others. They thought species might emerge at faster rates in warmer climates. But the Rabosky Lab found that new species do not form more quickly in warmer climates. In fact, in some cases, they evolve fastest in places with the lowest diversity.

Meet Dan Rabosky

Dan Rabosky is Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan. He is also Associate Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians at the Museum of Zoology.

 

How Do New Species Form?

Rabosky began his work in the Australian desert, researching the biodiversity of lizards. Since arriving at the University of Michigan, his research has expanded to the Peruvian Amazon. Much of his work focuses on patterns of reptile and amphibian biodiversity.

Rabosky's research asks many questions: How do new species form? What determines the number of species we see on Earth? Why do we have species at all?

 

Collecting Samples in the Peruvian Amazon

Much of Rabosky's recent work focuses on the biodiversity of snakes and frogs in the Peruvian Amazon.

 

Find the Animal

Try your hand at active searching. If you were out in the field, could you find the animal in these pictures?

 

There's No Substitute for Specimen Collection

Rabosky and his team work together with local partners and scientists to collect data.

 

Mission for the Future

It is more urgent than ever to create a record of all species on Earth. The Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan is one of the world's largest biodiversity reference libraries. It houses over 15 million specimens, including some that date back to the 1830's.

 

 

 

 

 

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