The Glor Lab  
 
 

Displaying brown anole (Anolis sagrei) photographed in Cuba.

 

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Research Overview

Work in our lab is focused on two fundamental questions in the study of biological diversification: (1) What processes contribute to the formation of new species (i.e., speciation)? and (2) What factors underlie macroevolutionary patterns of species diversity? Our efforts to address these questions rely heavily on the adaptive radiation of Caribbean Anolis lizards (anoles) as a model system. Nearly 400 species occur across the neotropics, making Anolis is the world’s most species-rich amniote genus. As many as 60 species may occur on a single Caribbean island, and specific communities may include as many as twelve sympatric congeners. If this weren't enough to make them a fascinated group for evolutionary and ecological studies, the green anole (Anolis carolinensis) has recently become the first reptile with a completely sequenced genome.

A brief summary of our main research is below. Elsewhere on this web-site, you can find more information on specific projects and our methods.

 
 
Speciation  
Our work on species formation focuses on a number of longstanding controversies (e.g., the geographic context in which speciation occurs, the contribution of natural selection to this process). Our previous work on anoles establishes an important role for geographic differentiation, even within relatively small islands. We are now investigating the role environmentally mediated dewlap divergence (a colorful throatfan used for signaling) in anole speciation. We are also applying powerful new methods for modeling a species' ecological niche to investigate the importance of ecological divergence to speciation.
Map showing geographic structure and introgression of mtDNA haplotypes and rhodopsin sequences in the Cuban green anoles (Anolis allisoni and A. porcatus). Black bars indicate historically significant overwater barriers. The results of this sudy supported speciation via allopatric divergence prior to the formation of modern-day Cuba with some subsequent mitochondrial introgression.
Diversification & Macroevolution  
Macroevolutionary studies in the lab employ a comparative phylogenetic perspective to identify patterns of diversification and assess the causal mechanisms that underlie these patterns. Current work on this topic includes a test of whether distinct, predictable stages characterize the anole radiation and that of other adaptive radiations. We are also interested more generally in the application of neontological and paleontological data to infer broad-scale macroevolutionary patterns of species diversification.
Phylogeny for Greater Antillean Anolis lizards showing reconstruction of microhabitat specialization via maximum likelihood. Microhabitat divergence occurred relatively early in the radiation. Subsequent speciation events have been associated with differentiation along other resource axes.

 
  Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627