RIG: Development of a General Use Phylogenomic Toolkit Using Iguanid Lizards and Phylogenetic Profiling

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Rapid availability of genomic data from many species has significantly increased the amount of data systematists can use to accurately recover the Tree of Life for all species. However, some data classes are more informative than others for recovering accurate results. This project will explore different classes of DNA data from the nuclear genome and quantify the ability of these classes to recover different branches in two exemplar lizard groups. Genetic information profiles, which identify optimal time points when genes are most informative for phylogenetic analysis, will be generated for each group. This research will generate a genomic toolkit that will be of wide utility for all vertebrate systematists and that will enable them to identify genes that are most informative for the Tree of Life region on which they are working. As part of this project, undergraduate students will receive extensive training in fields such as systematics, bioinformatics, database mining, lab techniques, and statistical analysis, and will be given opportunities to attend local and national scientific meetings. The PI and his undergraduates will conduct a week-long summer workshop on Northern New York Biodiversity for high school students from the Akwesasne St. Regis Mohawk Reservation to promote greater interest in science among Native American students in the region.