Date of Award
Summer 8-2016
Degree Type
Dissertation-Restricted
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Program
Conservation Biology
Department
Biological Sciences
Major Professor
Simon P. Lailvaux
Second Advisor
Charles D. Bell
Third Advisor
Philip Devries
Fourth Advisor
Jerome Howard
Fifth Advisor
Todd Lewis
Abstract
Snakes represent an impressive evolutionary radiation of over 3,500 widely-distributed species, categorized into 515 genera, encompassing a diverse range of morphologies and ecologies. This diversity is likely attributable to their distinctive morphology, which has allowed them to populate a wide range of habitat types within most major ecosystems. In my first chapter, I provide the largest-yet estimate of the snake tree of life using maximum likelihood on a supermatrix of 1745 taxa (1652 snake species + 7 outgroup taxa) and 9,523 base pairs from 10 loci (5 nuclear, 5 mitochondrial), including previously unsequenced genera (2) and species (61). I then use this phylogeny to test hypotheses regarding heterogeneity in diversification rates and how this shaped overall patterns of snake diversity in Chapter 2. I also used the species-level phylogeny to test the evolution of habitat use in snakes, morphological variation, and whether distantly-related species exhibit morphological convergence in Chapter 3. Finally, in Chapter 4 I investigate how prehensile tails effect striking performance in arboreal snakes.
Recommended Citation
Figueroa, Alex, "Phylogenetic Relationships and Evolution of Snakes" (2016). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2222.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2222
Supplementary Information Chapter 1
Figueroa - Dissertation Ch. 2 Supplementary Information.pdf (448 kB)
Supplementary Information Chapter 2
Figueroa - Dissertation Ch. 3 Supplementary Information.pdf (343 kB)
Supplementary Information Chapter 3
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Biodiversity Commons, Evolution Commons, Integrative Biology Commons
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.