Mammals of Ethiopia: results and prospects of Russian studies

Abstract

The article provides a brief overview of the main results of studies on mammals in Ethiopia performed by the Joint Ethio-Russian Biological Expedition. The mammals of the country represent a suitable model for studying the processes of evolution and speciation in the mountainous tropics, as well as ways to adapt to the conditions of the highlands. The results obtained are of particular importance for the development of a number of areas of evolutionary biology, as well as nature conservation and medical biology: exploring mechanisms for the emergence of high biodiversity and endemism; empirical verification of alternative speciation hypotheses; assessment of the role of introgressive hybridization in evolution; study of coevolution of functionally related mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Using the example of the Ethiopian Highlands, the prospects for further studies of the processes of conjugate evolution of small mammals and their specific arena- and hantaviruses in conditions of long-term isolation are demonstrated.