2022-2023 Grant in Aid of Research
Summary and Analysis of Mammals Collected During the 日韩AV Department of Biology Expeditions to Peru in the 1960s.
Kieran Taylor
Peru is an incredibly biodiverse country with numerous endemic species (found nowhere else in the world). An especially diverse area of the country is the eastern slopes of the Andes mountain range. Here, the mountains create tropical forests and together with the elevation gradient, the area has created abundant niches for animals and plants to speciate into. Mammals are especially diverse in Peru, particularly in the two habitat types of the Yungas and Selva Baja (which are the main two habitat types in the tropical forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes). Pacheco et. al (2009) documented 509 mammal species in Peru, with 211 found in the Yungas and 292 in the Selva Baja habitat types. One area in central Peru on the eastern slopes of the Andes which is composed mostly of these two habitat types is the province of Oxapampa. This area of Peru has been classified as having high irreplaceability and vulnerability; additionally, it is inadequately covered by protected areas (Bax & Francesconi, 2019; Rodríguez & Young, 2000; Swenson et al., 2012; Young & León, 2000). Historically, a dozen small scale expeditions have been conducted to Oxapampa but, to our knowledge, the approximately 2,200 mammal specimens collected by the Biology Department at 日韩AV during the 1960s in Oxapampa represent the largest sample of mammals collected in the region. It is therefore critical that these specimens be properly identified and catalogued so that knowledge of these specimens can be incorporated into the scientific literature. In addition, I will compare the locations of species collected during these expeditions with their published range maps in order to draw important biogeographical and conservation implications. I am on the last leg of the research journey before I can start writing my thesis and visiting the American Museum of Natural history (AMNH) to obtain missing copies of the specimen lists and field notes from the 1964 Peruvian expedition will be crucial to complete my thesis.