UC Berkeley

Adaptation is the foundation of evolution and all biology. Understanding the genetic basis of environmental and behavioral adaptation gives us insight into how species evolve. In this thesis I applied population genetic methods to various vertebrates with phenotypic adaptations. We published the first genome sequence of the variegated toad-headed lizard, Phrynocephalus versicolor; one of the only three reference genomes sequences for the family Agamidae, which has more than 300 species. We also generated genomic data for the strawberry poison frog, Oophaga pumilio, which has been a model organism for studying ecology and behavior. However, since its genome is large (~6Gb), it has been challenging and expensive to study its genomics. For this project, using exome capture and working with low-coverage sequencing was crucial. The first two chapters of this thesis are in herpetofauna and look at color adaptation. Across these projects, I am interested in how selection shapes different traits and preserves diversity across vertebrates. Additionally, I also studied adaptation in a human population in Korea, the Haenyeo. We were interested in finding genes responsible for the physiological adaptation to breath-hold diving in this population. In all these projects, I identified candidate genes under selection that might help us elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underlie adaptation.