The Chippindale Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology

 
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Research within the Chippindale lab spans the fields of evolution and evolutionary ecology.  Reptiles and amphibians are our normal research subjects, but other organisms such as damselflies and viruses have also been studied.  Since our lab has such broad interests, we frequently work together and collaboration is encouraged and expected. Presently, we are focusing on Central Texas salamanders of the genus Eurycea.  Many of the species within Eurycea are either endangered or of  unknown status and thus our main goals are to describe and define: 1) distinct evolutionary lineages, 2) gene flow among populations, and 3) the mechanisms leading to the current diversity.  We employ numerous techniques such as cloning, sequencing, microsatellites, and allozymes and we are working on adding transposable elements (SINES) and AFLPs to our arsenal.   Past and current students have focused their dissertations or theses on organisms of their choice (although lots of work remains to be done within Central Texas Eurycea) as well as diverse questions ranging from biogeography to developmental biology.