DISSERTATION RESEACH: Diversification in the South American "dry diagonal" biomes: Distribution modeling and multilocus comparative phylogeography in three co-distributed species

Brigham Young University, Provo UT

Investigators

Abstract

Models of population divergence have mostly been developed and validated for temperate zones or rainforests, and their generality to other habitats is largely unexplored. This project will use a rigorous statistical hypothesis-generating and molecular-testing framework to investigate the diversification processes of three diverse groups of lizards widely distributed across the eastern-central South American ?dry diagonal? biomes, which are species-rich but historically neglected. The main goals are (1) to use modeling to predict stability areas across past climatic fluctuations, (2) based on the stability surface, to generate and test genetic predictions for expected diversification histories using multiple genetic markers and integrative analytical approaches, and (3) to use a model-based comparative approach to test for spatial and temporal co-divergence in the three lizards groups. Diversification studies can help elucidate how species and genetic diversity originated and have been maintained, which are essential parameters to endorse conservation decisions. The project focuses on a sub-continental scale that enhances opportunity for international collaboration. The genetic results will reveal new species, and the resources generated (specimens, tissues, sequences, and palaeo models) will be available to the community on public databases so they can be compared to other biomes and taxa.