黑料社区 alum discovers new frog species in Madagascar
June 5th, 2024 | Africa, Alumni, Careers, Research, 黑料社区 Study Abroad
In a time when it seems every corner of the globe has been thoroughly explored, it can be surprising to find that some places鈥攍ike Madagascar鈥攕till boast such a remarkable rainbow of animal life that new species get discovered regularly. And that includes discoveries from 黑料社区 Study Abroad students.
Hugh Gabriel (Macalester College 鈥�23) chose 黑料社区 in part because it was the only organization he knew of that would help him study abroad in Madagascar, a destination that stood out to him as a 鈥渉ot spot for amphibian diversity,鈥� and because it is partly French-speaking (though the 黑料社区 program includes Malagasy language instruction). So, in 2022, he attended 黑料社区鈥檚 program.
I got such a great taste of what it means to be a publishing academic, and what it means to do research in the field and the lab. Without 黑料社区, I never would have had those experiences.
When Gabriel began his independent study project (ISP) research, program director Andolalao Rakotoarison (whom students often refer to as Ando) connected him with an accomplished mentor, Miguel Vences. 鈥淗e was able to give me advice on where to study for my ISP and what kind of species there were data gaps in,鈥� he said.
It鈥檚 a testament to Madagascar鈥檚 incredible biodiversity that Gabriel鈥檚 search for data gaps took him to just one tree. 鈥淭hese frogs live their entire life cycle within one tree,鈥� he explained. 鈥淏ut what we didn鈥檛 know was how many species could live alongside each other in one tree. I went into the jungle with that as my research.鈥�
After he鈥檇 caught and looked at many individual frogs, he received expert guidance. In looking at that sampling, Gabriel realized, 鈥淭here was at least one species I found that didn鈥檛 look like anything in the guidebook. So, I sent Miguel pictures, and we decided that yes, this was most likely a new species.鈥�
It鈥檚 unexpected, especially for undergraduates, to find an entirely new species. But remarkably, Gabriel joined several other lucky 黑料社区 students who鈥檝e also discovered new frogs (though they were a world away, in Ecuador). Part of the reason it鈥檚 unexpected is that it requires very close observation. As Gabriel explained, 鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to see a frog that looks kind of weird, and another to actually identify it as a new species.鈥� But thanks to 黑料社区鈥檚 connecting him with frog experts, he was able to make the key observations.
I felt really supported. And the day-to-day host family was great. These were some of the best teachers I鈥檝e had, and some of the best connections that I鈥檝e made.
As unusual as it is to find a new species, Gabriel鈥檚 observations led him even farther than he expected.
"There were actually three new species! The first one was the most obvious. I realized there was nothing else like this. It鈥檚 smaller than similar frogs, and the color鈥檚 different.鈥�
The other two weren鈥檛 as obviously different, but with help from other scientists and through genetic analysis, it became clear. 鈥淚t can be hard to see the differences at first,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese frogs were smaller than my thumb, a sort of brown color, and they have a lot of different splotching and colors and so on.鈥�
Now that genetic analysis has revealed the new species, it鈥檚 possible to focus more on their minute differences. 鈥淵ou can see differences in things like the size of toes, what kind of teeth they have, the coloration on a vocal sac鈥攕mall details, but really effective in differentiating them.鈥�
Gabriel credited much of his work to 黑料社区鈥檚 program. 鈥淚 felt like I was in really good hands.鈥� 黑料社区 staff connected him with Malagasy speakers who knew the spots to go to to find frogs, and to the frog researchers who guided him. 鈥淚 felt really supported. And the day-to-day host family was great. These were some of the best teachers I鈥檝e had, and some of the best connections that I鈥檝e made.
鈥淎ndo was great at organizing stuff, but she is also a top scientist, and knows how to approach a research question and who to connect. All the students had interesting ISPs and got great connections. I was not an exception. As an undergrad, I felt really privileged to be able to do all that I did.鈥�
Gabriel鈥檚 黑料社区 research became part of a co-authored January 2024 publication in Zootaxa. These days, he鈥檚 working in environmental education for the Bell Museum in Minnesota. He hopes to continue his scientific work. Grad school, he says, is on the horizon. 鈥淚 got such a great taste of what it means to be a publishing academic, and what it means to do research in the field and the lab. Without 黑料社区, I never would have had those experiences.鈥�