Welcome!I recently completed my PhD in Biology in the Stuart-Fox Lab at The University of Melbourne and Museums Victoria. My research interests lie broadly in the fields of:
Follow me on Twitter (@colorfulagamids). |
|
Current Projects
My PhD research examined the evolutionary consequences of speciation and secondary contact between lineages of the tawny dragon lizard (Ctenophorus decresii). The species is endemic to South Australia and comprises two divergent lineages, northern and southern, which differ notably in a sexual signal (i.e. throat coloration). They meet and hybridise in a narrow contact zone. The polymorphic northern lineage has four distinct throat color morphs (orange, yellow, yellow with an orange center, and grey), whereas the monomorphic southern lineage has ultraviolet-blue throats. The primary aims are summarised here:
1. I assessed the colour vision of the two lineages for differences in visual sensitivity associated with the divergence of a sexual signal and the signalling environment. I investigated whether lineages differ in visual sensitivity to UV wavelengths by measuring retinal opsin protein expression of four cone opsin genes (SWS1, SWS2, RH2, LWS) using droplet digital PCR.
2. Using extensive field surveys, male phenotype data, genomic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and a mitochondrial (mtDNA) marker, I investigated the outcome of secondary contact between the lineages. Furthermore, I captive-bred pure and F1 hybrid offspring to characterise phenotype.
3. To investigate the viability and fitness of F1 hybrids, I performed pure and reciprocal cross F1 hybrids in a laboratory setting and measured parental reproductive traits and offspring fitness traits (e.g. survival, growth rate, bite force, sprint speed).
4. Finally, I taxonomically separated the northern and southern lineages of C. decresii sensu lato on the basis of differentiation in morphology and male coloration, genetic divergence with restricted gene flow, and geographic structuring.
1. I assessed the colour vision of the two lineages for differences in visual sensitivity associated with the divergence of a sexual signal and the signalling environment. I investigated whether lineages differ in visual sensitivity to UV wavelengths by measuring retinal opsin protein expression of four cone opsin genes (SWS1, SWS2, RH2, LWS) using droplet digital PCR.
2. Using extensive field surveys, male phenotype data, genomic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and a mitochondrial (mtDNA) marker, I investigated the outcome of secondary contact between the lineages. Furthermore, I captive-bred pure and F1 hybrid offspring to characterise phenotype.
3. To investigate the viability and fitness of F1 hybrids, I performed pure and reciprocal cross F1 hybrids in a laboratory setting and measured parental reproductive traits and offspring fitness traits (e.g. survival, growth rate, bite force, sprint speed).
4. Finally, I taxonomically separated the northern and southern lineages of C. decresii sensu lato on the basis of differentiation in morphology and male coloration, genetic divergence with restricted gene flow, and geographic structuring.
Past projects
I completed my Bachelor of Science in Biology at Saint Louis University in 2012, with a senior year project on overwintering and buoyancy control in the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta). After this, I obtained my Master of Science in Biology at The University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2015. My thesis examined the phylogeography and population genetics of introduced softshell turtles (Pelodiscus sinenesis and Palea steindachneri) in the Hawaiian islands. Please see my publications for more information on these topics.
Last updated: March 2020
