Dissertation Research: The Evolution and Importance of Genetic Constraint in Anolis Cristatellus

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Genetic constraints determine how a population can respond to multivariate natural selection. This study investigates the origin and evolutionary significance of genetic constraint using a neotropical lizard, Anolis cristatellus, as a model species. Through breeding experiments, this study will measure the strength and pattern of genetic constraint. Through field natural selection study, this project will discern the adaptive origin of genetic correlations among traits. Finally, using field collections and morphological measurements, this study will evaluate the evolutionary importance of constraint in diversification.Lizards in the genus Anolis have become a model system for the study of evolutionary ecology and adaptive radiation. This project investigates a yet unstudied aspect of the evolutionary diversification of Anolis in the Caribbean. The training of a graduate student is directly supported by this project, and several undergraduates belonging to an under-represented group in science will receive training as a consequence of this study. Preliminary work has been presented in an invited seminar to biology faculty and students at the Universidad de Puerto Rico, and will be presented at the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists meeting this summer. Computer programs written for data analysis are being made available on the world wide web.