Resolving rapid radiations and recent speciation in North American spiny lizards (Sceloporus)

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

Understanding rapid bursts of speciation requires new phylogenetic methods as well as large data sets. In this project, the investigators will study a group of lizards (genus Sceloporus) to resolve rapid radiations and recent speciation events in the tree of life. The accumulation of new species over brief time intervals characterizes both of these events, which are challenging to elucidate because they leave limited genetic signatures across the genome. The investigators will apply new DNA sequencing technologies to investigate rapid speciation; determine the feasibility of analyzing extremely large genomic datasets using new models; and stress-test inference methods to identify the analytical upper limits of dataset size and complexity. Promoting the progress of science and the integration of research and education will involve four activities: 1) education and public outreach at The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, including a new public exhibit on the integration of genomics and natural history research, 2) postdoctoral mentoring, 3) undergraduate and graduate student training, and 4) the acquisition and dissemination of new comparative genomics data. Lizards in the North American genus Sceloporus are prominent in comparative studies of ecology, physiology, life history evolution, and chromosome evolution. This organismal research will yield a robust new estimate of the evolutionary history of these lizards, a valuable commodity for the comparative biology community.