OPUS: The Diversity and Comparative Biology of Geckos

Villanova University, Villanova PA

Investigators

Abstract

This research will synthesize all data available about the evolutionary relationships, paleontology, and diversity of geckos, a group of more than 1600 lizard species with a worldwide distribution in warm-climate areas. The researcher will use the pattern of relationships among geckos revealed by the synthesis to interpret the evolution of ecological, behavioral, physiological, and other traits of geckos. The project will make previously unpublished raw data available on publicly accessible websites and will result in publication of a comprehensive book describing the diversity and comparative biology of geckos. The project will identify avenues of research in evolutionary biology for which geckos are an ideal model system and will serve to guide the future research of students and others. This project will contribute to the professional development of Biology undergraduates and Masters students at a primarily undergraduate institution by providing opportunities for participation at all levels of the research underlying this project. It will also interface with a traveling museum exhibit aimed at the general public, and children in particular, that uses geckos to promote the understanding and appreciation of global biodiversity. Data relating to the genealogical, spatial and temporal relationships within Gekkota (paleontology, morphology, allozymes, mtDNA, multigene data (Sanger and Next Generation sequencing, karyology, etc.) will be evaluated, synthesized and the sources of conflict considered. Data gathered over three decades will be compiled from published papers as well as unpublished projects. These data will be combined into new, expanded matrices and analyzed using a diversity of widely employed phylogenetic methods. The PI will assess data quality, the strength of the phylogenetic signal, and in the case of conflicts among datasets, will identify probable causes and provide the rationale for a preferred interpretation. Available biological data will be analyzed in the context of the phylogenies generated using either formal methods (e.g., ancestral state reconstruction of traits of interest, either across the entire tree or some portions thereof), or, if data are too incomplete for this, they will be assessed qualitatively. Knowledge gaps will be identified and research priorities will be selected to both close these gaps and pinpoint evolutionary questions for which geckos would be especially good systems, thus facilitating comparative biological investigations of the group by a broad spectrum of researchers.