My research is primarily concerned with the processes governing vertebrate diversity in tropical systems and the scientific basis for conservation of tropical diversity. My research integrates a variety of molecular genetic methods (primarily DNA sequence and marker analyses) with analyses of morphology, behavior and life history to study population differentiation, speciation, systematics, and biogeography of terrestrial vertebrates with an emphasis on reptiles and amphibians.
I am primarily interested in the evolution of behavioral, morphological, and life history variation in response to selection and the role that selection, topographic complexity and geography play in speciation. My recent research has focused on the current and historical determinants of diversity tropical rainforests and explicitly on the role of Pleistocene climate change, geographic isolation, and selection across environmental gradients in phenotypic diversification and speciation. Currently, I have research projects in Ecuador, Sri Lanka, the Caribbean and other sites. My goal is to test hypotheses of diversification and determine if there are general principles that apply across taxa and regions. Students interested in applying to work in my lab should contact me at the e-mail address to the left.
