Experimental Studies in Evolution: Research on Lizard Adaptation in the Bahamas

Jonathan Losos is an evolutionary biologist whose research take a multi-disciplinary, integrative approach to understanding evolutionary diversification. Focusing on the diversity of lizards in the genus Anolis, Losos combines studies of ecology, behavior, functional morphology and systematics to address why the evolutionary radiation of anoles (400+ species) has been so successful and how particular species adapt to their environments. To address these questions, Losos and colleagues conduct field experiments in nature, sequence DNA, observe animals in their natural habitats and bring lizards into the laboratory for functional and developmental studies.

Speaker: Jonathan Losos, Harvard