The discovery of a statistically well-supported Tree of Life is a fundamental goal of systematic biology, particularly with genomic data rapidly becoming available from model organisms. The objective of this proposal is to determine the most appropriate data sampling strategy systematists should use in the face of difficult to resolve problems of species relationships. Iguanian lizards are an ideal group to test the hypothesis that fewer (5-10) large genes will recover strong phylogenetic support for rapidly radiating taxa rather than using a large number (>10) of smaller gene fragments. These reptiles have a worldwide distribution occupying almost every habitat with numerous examples of adaptive radiations. Almost every major iguanian lineage will be sequenced for at least six nuclear genes to generate a tree to be used in a series of analytical experiments determining the most appropriate strategy for recovering a statistically supported tree.
This research facilitates interactions between undergraduate students and major research institutions to provide a unique collaboration of biology, mathematics, and computer science. Undergraduates will be involved in data collection, analysis, manuscript development and publication, as well as presentation at local and national scientific meetings. Data and results will be publicly available on the web. New DNA markers developed in this study, using sequences from the Chicken, Mouse, and Human Genome Projects, will provide researchers working on distantly related taxa (reptiles, amphibians, and fish) with loci useful for future phylogenetic studies and sampling strategies that will have wide applicability for all biologists working on recovering the Tree of Life.
