Research

We are investigating both within and among- island patterns of gene flow, differentiation, and local adaptation in the herpetofauna of California's Channel Islands. Current work with collaborators at California State University, Northridge, Colorado State University, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County examines the role of ancient and recent human-assisted migration on patterns of evolutionary divergence and adaptation within and among islands.

We work on a number of projects looking at amphibian connectivity in light of human-associated environmental change. Projects included landscape genomics in Pacific Chorus Frogs and Northern Red-legged Frogs across the greater Portland Metropolitan Region, evolutionary genomics of the Oregon Slender Salamander, and documentation of the establishment of several populations of non-native California Slender Salamanders in Portland, Oregon.

The Dunes Sagebrush Lizard is endemic to shinnery oak-sand dune habitats of southeastern New Mexico and adjacent Texas. This region is currently being fragmented and destroyed by oil and gas mining practices. We work across spatial and temporal scales to characterize connectivity and local adaptation in the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard given habitat changes, including habitat destruction and fragmentation. This species was federally listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in June 2024.

With Chris Templeton at Western Washington University, we are studying the evolution of group chorusing in a the tropical Plain-Tailed Wren. Our work integrates acoustic recordings, field experimentation, and population genomic methods to investigate the ecological and evolutionary contexts under which these behaviors evolve.