Projects with Terry Ord

Please contact Terry directly if interested.

Behavioral ecology of territoriality:

Male Anolis lizards defend territories as a means of monopolizing access to females and other resources. This project consists of compiling behavioral data from a recent field trip in which individual territorial males were tracked over the course of a month on Puerto Rico. It includes surveying video footage and mapping the size of territories to study how lizards go about enforcing territory boundaries from other neighboring males.

Evolution of the dewlap in lizards:

Two very distinct families of lizards have evolved large throat fans, or dewlaps, for social communication. Although the outward appearance of the dewlap appears remarkably similar between these groups, whether the underlying morphology of the dewlap has evolved in the same manner is unknown. This project involves working with museum specimens to measure the morphology of the dewlap in a variety of species (e.g., the Caribbean Anolis lizards, the flying Draco lizards of southern Asia) and working along side several members of the Losos lab whose interests bridge animal behavior, functional morphology and evo-devo.

The dewlap as it appears in Sitana

Ornament evolution in Caribbean anoles:

In addition to the extension of an often brightly colored dewlap, males of several species of Caribbean Anolis possess large tail crests that serve as ornaments. What these tail crests actually advertise to territorial rivals or mates is unclear. This project involves quantifying the size and shape of tail crests from video images collected in the field and combining this data with other information from behavioral observations. The idea is to determine whether the size of the tail crest is correlated with a territorial male’s potential fighting ability or ability to acquire mates.  

A male anole with a large tail crest

Projects with Thomas Sanger

Evolution of development in Anolis:

Evolutionary developmental biology, or evo-devo, is a relatively new and exciting discipline that hopes to uncover the specific cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying morphological divergence. Caribbean Anolis lizards are a relatively new model system in studies of evo-devo and provide a unique opportunity to examine many evolutionary questions not possible using the traditional model organisms alone. The Losos and Abzhanov labs are undertaking several new projects to examine the evolution and development of characters known to be involved with the adaptation of Anolis lizards into novel environments. We are seeking several undergraduates to help with these projects. By working on these projects students will potentially have the opportunity to learn embryological, histological, and molecular techniques. Tasks will include the collection and preservation of Anolis embryos, analysis of developmental patterns, and other basic bench skills (skeletal preparation, measurement and fixation of specimens, etc). Successful students may have the opportunity for field work and to develop their own, independent research projects. Summer employment is available and priority will be given to students available during this time.

Variation among species: examining patterns of skull variation:

A tremendous amout of variation exists in the skull morphology of Anolis lizards. While some research has been done to examine variation in specific cranial dimensions, a comprehensive examination of this variation in a development, phylogenetic and ecological context is still needed. What are the specific parts of the skull that contribute to this variation? Does this variation arise during embryogenesis or through changes in relative growth? Projects addressing these questions can take many forms depending on one’s interests. Please contact me for more details.

Variation within a species: Geographic variation in Anolis carolinensis:

The genome of A. carolinensis has recently been sequenced opening the door for biologists to relate morphological variation within a species to its underlying genetic roots. Understanding how this species varies across its range and determining the impact of this variation on the lizard’s biology is a critical step in making the connection between morphology and molecules. I would like a student to explore this variation in a variety of contexts (morphological, ecological, developmental, etc) to determine variable elements of the A. carolinensis skeleton. These will be used to create explicit hypotheses regarding the developmental and genetic roots of that variation and subsequently explored in greater detail.  

Variation within a species: Skeletal variation associated with sex:

Many anoles exhibit sexual dimorphism, that is to say males and females of the same species take on different morphologies. While some work has been done to place this variation in an ecological context we still do not understand when or how this variation arises during growth and/or development. I would like a student to examine sexual dimorphism in the cranial skeleton of Anolis lizards to address how and when skull shape changes throughout the life of the lizard.  

Projects with Dave Collar

I seek to hire two work-study eligible undergraduate students to participate in a study of the evolution of lizard diversity. One of the goals of this project is to measure lizard body proportions, and the hired students will be involved in this aspect of the study. Responsibilities will primarily include measuring external anatomical structures on preserved lizard specimens and maintaining an Excel spreadsheet of these data.

Applicants should have some experience with and basic knowledge of Excel, but we anticipate that many of the necessary skills (specimen handling, caliper-based measurement, etc.) will be acquired on the job. Therefore, prior experience is not required, though we encourage students with interests in evolutionary biology, herpetology or natural history to apply.

The hired students will be expected to work at least 10 hours per week. We seek to fill these positions immediately.

Interested students should contact David Collar by email (dcollar@oeb.harvard.edu) or by phone 496-9099.