DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Patterns of Adaptive Radiation in Sphaerodactylus Geckos

适应性辐射是指将一个祖先谱系多样化为多种适应生态环境的物种。这项研究将利用西印度群岛Sphaerodactylus Geckos的辐射来调查最近关于适应辐射的工作中出现的两个假说：(1)适应在按时间或地理隔离的辐射中重复，(2)获得生态机会推动多样化。球龙是检验这些假说的理想群体，因为西印度群岛发生了多个进化上独立的辐射。这项研究将通过结合形态和栖息地利用数据、系统发育比较方法和几何形态计量学来解决每个假说，以评估重复适应的程度和获得生态资源在球龙多样性中的重要性。通过这个项目，本科生助理将接受各种野外、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研讨会传播。此外，这项研究的结果将被纳入罗切斯特大学的大学前暑期项目，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.