Insights into macroevolution using a model adaptive radiation of lizards (Lerista)

澳大利亚可以说是世界上蜥蜴种类最丰富的国家。这项研究将利用Lerista来调查这种多样性是如何产生的，Lerista是一种石龙子的辐射，有80多种石龙子，从完全有肢到完全没有腿。我们将探讨发育、地理分布和形态特征如何影响莱丽斯塔的进化多样化。我们还将使用（并因此测试）几种量化生物多样性的替代方法，绘制整个澳大利亚的Lerista生物多样性地图。这些知识非常重要，因为许多莱丽斯塔多样性热点地区正面临越来越大的人类压力（例如西澳大利亚中部海岸），而且许多物种的分布范围非常有限。

Australia has arguably the greatest diversity of lizards in the world. This research will investigate how this diversity arose, using Lerista, a radiation of skinks with over 80 species spanning fully limbed to totally legless forms. We will investigate how development, geographic distribution and morphological features have influenced the evolutionary diversification of Lerista. We will also map the biodiversity of Lerista across Australia using (and thus testing) several alternative methods of quantifying biodiversity. Such knowledge is important as many hotspots of Lerista diversity are coming under increasing human pressure (e.g. mid-coast of WA), and many species have very localised ranges.