Research

Research in the lab focuses on biodiversity genomics. We are interested in understanding the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that generate genetic and phenotypic diversity patterns in natural populations. Work in the lab integrates genomic and phenotypic data and encompasses lab, field and natural history collection based studies, primarily (though not exclusively) of reptiles and amphibians in Southeast Asia, Mexico, and the southwestern U.S. Some of our work is also focused on conservation biology in these systems. Previous work has involved studies of the goodness-of-fit of phylogenetic models to genetic datasets. Current research in the lab is focused on studying hybridization and its impact on diversification in North American whiptail lizards (Aspidoscelis). Hybridization between species is very common in this group, which includes a large number of unisexual species that have formed by hybridization and reproduce clonally. We are using this system as a model for understanding the evolution of sex and the impact of gene flow on speciation. We also have an interest in studying biogeography and speciation in reptiles from the Philippine Islands and Mexico. Finally, we are interested in conservation and landscape genetics in reptiles and amphibians in Arizona and more broadly across the Southwest.