SURFER Del museo al campo: Digitalización, modelización e impresión 3D de análogos artificiales para evaluar la vulnerabilidad ecofisiológica de anuros holárticos al cambio climático

The evolution of organism form and function depends critically on the surface area to volume ratio (hereafter, A/V ratio). Transcutaneous fluxes of respiratory gases, osmolytes, and water are essential for maintaining homeostasis in amphibians. In fact, amphibians can be considered the best example of the so-called “third universal biological response to anthropogenic global warming,” which involves a reduction in body size in the context of rising temperatures. SURFER (Surface Ecological Research) proposes a multidisciplinary approach to better characterize the physiological and thermoregulatory mechanisms that scale as emergent phenotypic patterns at macroecological and macroevolutionary levels. Conceptually, SURFER aims to achieve a synthetic understanding of the underlying mechanisms of two classic ecogeographic rules (Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules). Methodologically, SURFER will combine modern 3D digital geometry processing techniques with biophysical models and ecophysiological field experiments to test the validity of these rules. For the first time, photogrammetric techniques will be used to assemble 3D morphological models of anuran species existing in Europe and North America using data collected in museums. This type of non-destructive 3D imaging approach has rarely been applied to study anatomy in living organisms and has the potential to revitalize the scientific and educational value of natural history collections. This project will provide relevant information for assessing the degree of extinction threat to amphibian species subject to drastic environmental changes in temperature and humidity.