DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Convergent Local Adaptation in White Sands Lizards

白色沙滩，新墨西哥州是一个地质上年轻的景观鲜明的白色沙丘周围的黑暗沙漠灌木丛。 在三种蜥蜴，有戏剧性的收敛适应这一特点，沙丘人口表现出漂白的颜色，而相邻的人口是黑暗的。 该系统提供了一个独特的机会，可以更好地了解生物体快速适应不断变化的环境的条件，并最终了解新物种是如何进化的。 本研究将采用一种综合的方法来研究白色沙蜥的适应性。 分子技术将用于研究基因流和局部适应之间的关系，并确定参与爬行动物颜色进化的特定基因。 通过野外实验，研究生态学、生殖生物学和物种形成之间的关系。本项目有助于理解生物学的一个核心问题，即生物多样性的进化。 从经验上讲，这项研究解决了一个正在进行的辩论的重要性，生态因素的物种形成。 研究结果也与制定保护政策有关。 把重点放在保护景观上代表了一种转变的范式，即保护进化过程，而不是当前的物种分布模式。 以前的工作表明，生态过渡区对产生和维持生物多样性很重要，拟议的研究将有助于评估这些地区作为保护目标的作用。

White Sands, New Mexico is a geologically young landscape of stark white dunes surrounded by dark desert scrubland. In three lizard species, there has been dramatic convergent adaptation to this feature; dune populations exhibit blanched coloration while adjacent populations are dark. This system provides a unique opportunity to better understand the conditions under which organisms adapt rapidly to changing environments and, ultimately, how new species evolve. An integrative approach will be employed to investigate adaptation in White Sands lizards. Molecular techniques will be used to study the relationship between gene flow and local adaptation and to identify specific genes involved in color evolution in reptiles. Field experiments will be conducted to study the relationship between ecology, reproductive biology and speciation.This project contributes to understanding a central issue in biology, the evolution of biological diversity. Empirically, this study addresses an ongoing debate about the importance of ecological factors in speciation. Results are also relevant in formulating conservation policy. Focusing on conservation of landscapes represents a shifting paradigm toward preserving evolutionary processes rather than current species distribution patterns. Previous work has suggested that ecological transition zones are important for generating and maintaining biological diversity, and the proposed research will help evaluate the role of these areas as conservation targets.