THE CHARISMATIC CHUCKWALLA: CONSERVATION THROUGH GENOMICS BY SUSANA RINDERLE
"Our desert ecosystems are currently facing unprecedented levels of habitat destruction due to development and climate change.” - Alexandra Sumarli
Alexandra Sumarli is on a mission to influence conservation strategies through hard science. "Our desert ecosystems are currently facing unprecedented levels of habitat destruction due to development and climate change," she says. "In order to protect [desert species], we need to understand their basic biology. This includes understanding the evolutionary history of species and their population genetic structure. By doing this, we can prioritize protecting genetically distinct and vulnerable populations or species." A PhD. student in ecology, evolution, and organismal biology at the University of California at Riverside, Alex is doing her part by revealing the evolutionary history of a widespread and charismatic lizard using genomic methods. That lizard, the common chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater), occupies the arid lands of southwestern North America and contains
