Research Projects




Most of the research in the Robbins Lab involves Sceloporus lizards, sometimes called spiny lizards, swifts, or blue bellies. To study phenotypic evolution we examine habitats, behavior, development, survival, physiology, genetics, and epigenetics, all of which can influence resulting phenotypic characters. Natural selection acts on these phenotypes to ultimately determine the fitness of individuals and the evolutionary trajectory of these lizard populations. 

Ontogenetic shifts in morphology and performance. (Florida scrub lizard, Sceloporus woodi
Caring for lizards in the laboratory to study reproduction and sperm storage. 
Variation in life history traits of Sceloporus lizards along a latitudinal gradient. 
Escape behavior and refuge choice of parental species and hybrids. (Eastern Fence Lizard, Sceloporus undulatus
Growth, survival, and potential evolutionary effects revealed in common garden experiments. 
Epigenetic differences in lizard populations with different predator environments.