In November/December 2018 I was lucky enough to join the Natural History Museum London (NHML), Museum of Pretoria, South Africa and South African Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) on an expedition to the “Sky Islands of Mozambique”. Sky islands are forests atop granite inselbergs, isolated and not connected to any other forests. Animals here tend to be endemic due to the isolation and adaptation to the higher elevations. Few of these forests have been studied by scientists due to lack of knowing their existence, the civil war in Mozambique and the isolation and difficulty in reaching them. It took us a whole day to drive to the first mountain and then a further 3hr hike in 36 degree celsius heat to reach the forests of Mount Ribáue and Mount Inago, separately. When we finally reached primary forest, we set up camp and collected DNA samples from frogs, both new to science and already known but limited specimens have been collected in the past.
The Santander grant helped with funding my laboratory work when I returned from Mozambique. The DNA samples collected and others in storage at the NHML needed processing for my Masters project. This was conducted on the 4th – 15th February 2019.
My project is looking at a specific species of frog, the Arthroleptis francei (Figure 1 and 2). Phenotypically the specimens look like A. francei but genetically, this could reveal new species. Through the laboratory work, a clearer picture will emerge regarding their placement on the phylogenetic tree, and reveal any cryptic taxa within.
Fifteen samples had been collected from Mount Inago and a further >40 samples were already stored at the museum. I was given the opportunity to conduct my laboratory work in London with and amongst world leading herpetologists. Lab consumables, processing the samples, travel, food and accommodation was all to be funded by myself and this is where the help from the Santander Grant made it possible. I would not have been able to gain this experience, create these links for Salford University and achieve my project without the help. Just the laboratory consumables alone for the DNA extraction of the A.francei tissue cells cost £818.
In order to maximise my results, three genes were used which tripled the work load but it gives a more thorough result. In total, 135 samples were processed in the two weeks and to give you an example, it would take up to 5 or more hours to process 12 – 16 samples at a time. Each day I would arrive at the museum at 9am and leave at 7pm including weekends to gather as much data as I could in the short time.
Once I had extracted and processed the DNA samples, they were sent off to the sequencing team where they can read the sequences in each sample. These have now all been received, and my job now is to curate them, analyse them and construct a phylogenetic tree. The months since have been spent learning various software’s to interpret the lab results, learning Geographic Information System (GIS) packages, statistic applications and Unix coding to produce the results needed.
The results in Figure 8. are preliminary, but it is evident there are new taxa especially for the one gene, 16S and a high possibility that I will have to name new species. It’s still early to say but it looks like there are definitely 2 different species on Mount Mabu, a new species on Mount Lico, a different species on Mount Mulanje and a paraphyletic group on Mount Namuli and Mount Inago. Once I have finalised the genetic data and should there be definite new species discovered, I would like to revisit the NHML to take phenotypic data of the specimens there. This will help in the describing of the new species in hope to find differentiations to separate them from another. DNA is changing taxonomy and is imperative in the refining of species classification.
Currently A.francei is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Should there be new taxa discovered, A.francei will have to be assessed and their listing on the IUCN red list changed to ‘Endangered’, threatened with extinction. With this information and that of fellow scientists on other taxa, I hope to present it to the government of Mozambique to confirm the diversity in the forests and lobby for their protection like that of Mount Ribáue and Mount Mabu. Deforestation is occurring at an alarming rate where patches are being cleared for subsistence farming and illegal logging, reducing these vital habitats.
This trip has been beneficial to my development and my CV which has confirmed my passion to work with an understudied, vulnerable group - frogs. I have learnt valuable skills in an area of breaking Science that is imperative in the classification of species which will enhance their protection. The contacts I have made in London will benefit future students who wish to work in the same area as myself. This reputation and relationship that I and my supervisor, Robert Jehle have built is strong and will benefit others. In the near future I will be publishing a paper in a scientific journal of my findings. It is an honour to have been given the opportunity to work with such a high-profile organisation with individuals with many publications between them and knowledge second to none.
A massive thank you to everyone who made this research happen:
Robert Jehle - Lecturer at The University of Salford Simon Loader - Supervisor and co-ordinator at the NHML
Gabriella Bittencourt - Supervisor at the NHML
Krystal Tolley - Bird Life International/SANBI
The field team in Mozambique
Patrick Woest - My field assisstant
Lucy Stevens - My moral support
Thank you to Santander for the opportunity that has been imperative to my future.
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