DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Patterns of Adaptive Radiation in Sphaerodactylus Geckos

适应性辐射是一种祖先谱系的多样化，使其成为许多具有生态适应性的物种。本研究将利用Sphaerodactylus壁虎的西印度辐射来调查最近关于适应性辐射的工作中出现的两个假设：(1)适应在被时间或地理隔离的辐射中被复制；(2)获得生态机会驱动多样化。球形手藻是检验这些假设的理想群体，因为在西印度群岛上发生了多种进化上独立的辐射。本研究将结合形态和生境利用数据，结合系统发育比较方法和几何形态计量学来解决每个假设，以评估复制适应的程度和生态资源获取在球形手藻多样化中的重要性。在整个项目中，本科生助理将接受各种领域、实验室和分析技术的培训。这项研究的结果将通过学术期刊和会议，以及壁虎爱好者组织的期刊和专题讨论会进行传播。此外，这项研究的结果将被纳入罗切斯特大学的大学预科暑期项目，让学生接触新兴研究和应用科学。最后，这项研究将有助于保护这些鲜为人知的壁虎。

Adaptive radiation is the diversification of an ancestral lineage into a multitude of ecologically adapted species. This study will use the West Indian radiation of Sphaerodactylus geckos to investigate two hypotheses emerging from recent work on adaptive radiation: (1) adaptation is replicated among radiations isolated by time or geography, and (2) access to ecological opportunity drives diversification. Sphaerodactylus is an ideal group to test these hypotheses because multiple evolutionarily independent radiations occur across the West Indies. This study will address each hypothesis by combining morphological and habitat-use data with phylogenetic comparative methods and geometric morphometrics, to assess the extent of replicated adaptation and the importance of access to ecological resources in the diversification of Sphaerodactylus.Throughout this project, undergraduate assistants will be trained in a variety of field, laboratory, and analytical techniques. Results from this study will be disseminated through scholarly journals and conferences, as well as through journals and symposia organized by gecko enthusiasts. Furthermore, results from this study will be incorporated into a pre-collegiate summer program at the University of Rochester, to expose students to both emerging research and applied science. Finally, this study will contribute to the conservation of these poorly known geckos.