DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Sexual signal variation within and between populations of an incipiently speciating lizard

University Of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA

Investigators

Abstract

Variation is key to evolution. Differences between individuals within a population, between populations of the same species, and between closely related species represent successive stages in the formation of new species. Ph.D. student Elizabeth Bastiaans and Dr. Barry Sinervo will study individual, population and between species variation in the mesquite lizard species complex, a Mexican lizard whose evolutionary relationships are not yet fully understood. The mesquite lizard inhabits the mountains of central and northern Mexico, an environment that is changing rapidly due to both climate change and increasing urbanization. Ms. Bastiaans and Dr. Sinervo?s work with these lizards will help illuminate how new species form and adapt to the environment. Within populations, the lizards vary in the color of brightly pigmented patches used in mating and aggressive interactions. Between populations and closely related species, the lizards vary in coloration, habitat use, and genetic characteristics. The researchers will use field surveys, behavioral experiments, and molecular tools to address how ecology, behavior, and genetics contribute to divergence between populations in the mesquite lizard. The results of the research will shed light on which populations are most vulnerable to decline or extinction due to climate change and/or habitat loss. This work fosters collaboration between the United States and Mexico on problems that show no respect for borders, and it provides opportunities to train and educate high school and college students from both nations.