Our lab focuses on behavioral aspects of evolutionary ecology of natural populations, especially of reptiles and amphibians. Specifically, we are interested in understanding how sexual selection molds contemporary populations and how parental care and social behavior have evolved, especially in lizards. Additionally, we have conducted investigations related to tail autotomy in lizards, freshwater turtle conservation in Oklahoma, temperature-dependent sex determination in collared lizards, and the role of the Bd fungus (chytrid fungus) and ranavirus in amphibian declines in Latin America, especially in Patago
nia. Our approach to these problems is necessarily integrative and collaborative. We combine concepts and methods from various biological disciplines ranging from ecology, evolution, and animal behavior to physiology, endocrinology, immunology and genetics. Our research is heavily field-based, supplemented with analytical and experimental approaches in the laboratory, and is/has been conducted in Oklahoma and neighboring states, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Madagascar.