DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Spatial Analysis of Effective Size and Genetic Structure in Desert Breeding Anurans

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The maintenance of genetic diversity has important consequences for population differentiation, persistence, local adaptation, and divergence. Organismal ecology, behavior, and demography influence temporal changes in genetic diversity at local scales and can have important consequences for patterns of genetic structure at larger scales by increasing the role of random evolutionary processes relative to non-random evolutionary processes. This project integrates ecology and population genetics to assess the importance of particular species-specific traits in the preservation of genetic diversity. To disentangle the mechanisms shaping distributions of genetic diversity at multiple spatial scales, this research uses molecular population genetic tools to compare genetic structure in two desert breeding toads with similar ecologies, but very different life-histories. This research will reach beyond the scope of this specific system by contributing to conservation biology as well as education outside of the classroom. The long-term persistence of populations relies on genetic diversity for adaptability to changing environments. By examining how species traits affect the maintenance and distribution of genetic diversity we can better predict the consequence of particular environmental changes and perturbations on population stability and persistence. The field and laboratory components of this research will involve students and community members of all ages and nationalities from a diverse array of backgrounds.