Research

The thrill of discovery is the force driving research in The Watson Laboratory. We use standard field research techniques, museum collection data, GIS, and controlled laboratory experiments to address questions related to physiological ecology, predator/prey interactions, the evolution of viviparity, and wildlife conservation. We typically use lizards as subjects of investigation, but the lab is not taxonomically limited.

Chelsea Connor preparing samples — *Chelsea Connor* preparing samples

PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY

The Watson Lab routinely incorporates physiological and ecological data to gain a better understanding of the interactions of populations or species with one another and/or the environment. This research is applicable to timely topics like Global Climate Change and Species Invasions. Current research in Dominica, a collaboration with Operation Wallacea, is documenting the effects that a recent invasion of a second Anolis species has on the thermal physiology of the native endemic Anole. We are also investigating plant/animal interactions using caterpillars that eat toxic plants. We use milkweed/monarch butterflies and tobacco/tobacco hornworms to investigate the effects that the animals have on the plants and the reaction of the plants to being fed upon.

ANTI-PREDATION MECHANISMS

We are primarily interested in the evolution and adaptive significance of anti-predation coloration in lizards. Working closely with The Cox Lab at Florida International University, we are exploring evolutionary patterns of conspicuous tail coloration as a decoy to divert avian attacks to the atutotomous tail. We also explore how plants, such as tobacco and milkweeds, use chemical deterrents to herbivory by insects. Our milkweed/monarch butterfly research has broader implications in this field because monarchs use toxins derived from the milkweed as a chemical defense against would-be predators and they have a distinct color and pattern that is mimicked by other non-toxic species.

Plestiodon copei near Valle de Bravo, Mexico — *Plestiodon copei* near Valle de Bravo, Mexico

REPRODUCTIVE MODE EVOLUTION

This line of research hopes to reveal candidate selective pressures that led to the evolution of viviparity in a group of organisms who may be experiencing a global collapse in diversity (high-elevation squamates) and may provide clues to the adaptive significance of this trait in other groups, such as mammals. The currently accepted hypothesis, The Cold Climate Hypothesis, posits that cold temperatures constitute the primary selective pressure favoring live birth but our research show that it may be more complex than that. We are currently collaborating with The Burggren Lab at UNT, The Cox Lab at Florida International University, and various labs at UAEMex to better understand this phenomenon.

Hatchling Sceloporus olivaceous — Hatchling *Sceloporus olivaceous*

*Danaus plexippus* on *Asclepias viridis*

CONSERVATION / WILDLIFE BIOLOGY

P.I. Watson's background in Zoo Herpetology and Wildlife Biology is evident in the research performed in The Watson Laboratory. We maintain a research collection which offers husbandry experience to both graduates and undergraduates and allows us to perform controlled physiological laboratory experiments. Many of the aforementioned projects, such as the evolution of viviparity and the Milkweed/Monarch Butterfly have a tie to conservation and wildlife biology. We are actively engaged in Horned Lizard conservation and research in collaboration with The Williams Lab at TCU.