GREAT NEWS

Elise, just received an NFS PRE-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP. This is the second PRE-DOC for our small lab. In case you are wondering, Elise's goal is to solve the "mystery" of individual recognition signals.

Bahamas study published!

For those of you who have been dying to hear some results from the many ongoing projects in the Bahamas, your wait is over. Manuel and colleagues have recently published a paper in Science Express, which demonstrates that "both founder effects and natural selection jointly determine trait values in [the studied] populations". Very cool. Below, you can find some previously unreleased "behind the scenes" photographs of the research. I've also provided a smattering of links to some media articles about the study. Others are certainly out there, but these seemed the most unique in terms of content and language. And don't forget to watch a great video clip at Duke Today or on OnePakistan. Enjoy!

Manuel Leal pushes the crew onward to another cay when the tide is low ...

"Buddy provides valuable logistical support, including making sure that Jonathan and Tom don't miss any lizards." - ML

"We go to great lengths to ensure that the lizards are kept alive and healthy, while we collect the necessary morphological data." - ML

Media links:
1. The Washington Post
2. LiveScience on msnbc.com & The Huffington Post
3. The Daily Mail Online (UK)
4. TG Daily
5. RedOrbit
6. Futurity
7. Der Standard (Austria)
8. Europa Press (Spain)
9. Wissenschaft aktuell (Germany)

And a new one! ... 10. El Nuevo Dia (Puerto Rico)

Breaking News

Today's post has a very special meaning to me. If you follow our blog, you have seen numerous blogs in which I poke fun at JBL, better known as Chester or Señor. It is my great pleasure to post that Dr. Losos recently received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of Sciences. The medal is awarded every four years for “meritorious work in zoology or paleontology published in a three- to five-year period.” Below is the description from the NAS website. Also, take a look at previous recipients; I am going to go out on a limb here and say that, in the near future, I will be posting about the fact that Señor has been elected to join the NAS.

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Jonathan B. Losos (2012)

Jonathan B. Losos is recognized for his novel and penetrating evolutionary studies of adaptive radiation in vertebrates, notably his comprehensive study of anolis lizards in tropical America, as summarized in his recent book, Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree: Ecology and Adaptive Radiation of Anoles.

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It is fitting that the medal is sufficiently big, to possible function as a dewlap.

I met JBL when I was Master's student at UPR - Rio Piedras. I remember mentioning to JBL that I was considering going for a PhD and that Harry W. Greene was at the top of my wish-list. It took only a day for JBL to realize that there was no way I would make it to Berkeley, and in a very polite manner, he suggested that I should also consider his lab. I was not completely sold on the idea, because JBL’s main focus was on comparative work and my interests were mostly in behavior. Well, the rest is history: I didn't make it to Berkeley, U. Michigan took forever to inform me that I had received the Rackham Fellowship, and JBL pulled some strings at WASHU & opened the door of his lab. I have the feeling that he has regretted that decision many times, and if he had to do it all over again, his decision might be very different. At the time, I believe he was impressed by my lizard-catching skills (which were a little better than his) and the stubborn way I’d call myself a Natural Historian. Every time I described myself as a Natural Historian, he would remind me that saying such things would never get me a job.

Having JBL as an advisor greatly shaped my academic career. He gave me the freedom to pursue my interest in behavior and more importantly made me feel like a colleague. We have learned to agree to disagree, and to do so while enjoying a heated discussion. I will always be grateful for the fact that he opened the door and has been willing to provide many hours of advice.

One final word: It is only fitting that Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree: Ecology and Adaptive Radiation of Anoles is strongly anchored in Natural History. Maybe Natural History can get you a job after all.

FELICIDADES SENOR!!!!!

Thanks Kai

Kai Ru

In the month that I was able to work with Mr. Powell in Dr. Leal’s lab, I gained an extremely enriching experience. While biology at school had always been of interest to me, reading textbooks and watching Power Points can never quite compare with working with real, live lizards. At school, the most hands-on work with animals I ever did at school was with C. elegans, and in all honesty, it wasn’t quite the same. Working with the anoles, I was able to see just how complex they were, and how I, like many others no doubt, had previously underestimated their cognitive abilities. Previously, I wasn’t even aware of so many species of anoles, and had only ever heard the word “anole” in passing.
It wasn't only from working with the anoles that I was able to learn. One of the greatest things about working with Mr. Powell was being able to learn so much, not only about the anoles themselves, but also about their habitats, the way they and many other animals adapted and evolved, and even a little of how the brain works, both in lizards and in humans. I was fortunate in that I had the opportunity to read several research articles spanning several topics that Mr. Powell gave me, and also to discuss my numerous questions regarding those articles. Those discussions not only helped me understand the articles, but also gave me the chance to get many of my questions regarding various aspects of biology answered.
My learning experience at Duke was one that I will unlikely forget. Such a learning experience would be impossible to come by in high school. I am extremely grateful to Mr. Powell and Dr. Leal for giving me the opportunity to work with them, and of course for teaching me so much about anoles and so many other aspects of science. While I am still uncertain about which area of knowledge I wish to pursue, my time here has definitely strengthened my interest in biology.

Kai

Hasta Luego

Well, everything good must come to an end, and our island hopping tour is nearly over. Between Puerto Rico and Jamaica, we managed to collect data on 12 species. Not bad when considering that we have faced a nice number of equipment glitches, which Leo has been able to solve. In fact, we began our island hopping tour with a nice number of gadgets, including two spectroradiometers, two fibers and one light meter. At this moment, we have three spectroradiomenters, four fibers, two light meters, one calibrating light, one constant light just to name a few of all the gadgets that slowly have been added to our arsenal. Not to mention the fact that Leo had the great idea of working in a RAIN FOREST, and for the last two days we have had plenty of rain. Last but not least, kudos to Brianna, Beatriz, Dave and Vasyl. They provided significant help in many aspects of our trip, from data collection to cooking. All proved to be adept lizard catchers, hard workers, and were stoic in the face of biting insects, attacking plants, scorching sun and (most difficult of all) seemingly endless hours of non-stop rain. Please see below for a satellite image of today's weather.

El Verde is dead center in the middle of the "vaguada"

In their own words

Beatriz Romero Cordero

(Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Mayaguez, 2011)

These last two weeks at El Verde Field Station in the company of the Anolis lizards and our team have been a truly unforgettable experience! After what could have been a potentially awkward beginning (4 men and 1 woman – me, in an apartment, and the language differences between us), I quickly realized that this stay would be awesome, because, well… they are awesome! And that’s just the way it turned out to be.
We collected data on various species of endemic Anolis lizards, such as A. krugi, A. cristatellus, A. evermanni, A. gundlachi, A. stratulus, and A. pulchellus. Lizard catching also proved to be an enjoyable experience, where I learned that catching lizards with a noose isn’t as easy as it looks. Nevertheless, this made every success an opportunity to celebrate (victory dance included).
I really enjoyed learning to identify and spot the lizards, watch their behavior and their colorful dewlap displays, understanding how the different measurements were taken, and working as a team with Dr. Leal. It’s always a great feeling to know that you’re contributing to someone’s work, and I’m excited to see how the results turn out. For me, this experience has been an enlightening one, which I feel has ratified my interest to become a graduate student. I had been to the rainforest before, being from the Island, but going with people who were knowledgeable in every tree and bird species that we encountered gave me a different insight of the rainforest, and it helped me see and think about more than just its beauty. I’m extremely grateful for Manuel and Leo for giving me this opportunity to work beside them, and especially to Manuel for kindly answering my endless questions and for graciously dealing with my lack of cooking skills. I’ll truly miss the teasing, the morning singing, our outings, the interesting lizard conversations, and overall, some truly wonderful people who showed me what life in the field is all about and opened up my mind to new opportunities. I leave El Verde hoping that this isn’t an “adios”, but only an “hasta luego”! Buen viaje, amigos!

Vasyl Hereha (Union College, 2012)

Doing fieldwork the El Yunque rainforest was definitely an experience that I initially stressed about, but proved to be quite enjoyable. I had reason to stress as I have not previously done fieldwork, nor do I often travel outside of New York state. Coming to Puerto Rico may technically mean that I stayed in a US territory, but I felt like I was in another world. The wildlife was unique and beautiful and the people that I have had the pleasure to work with helped me to feel relaxed and continue laughing throughout the trip. The rain may have been a hinderance to our work and sometimes kept us out of the field, but the down time was made enjoyable by being around such interesting people as Professor Leal, Professor Fleishman, Beatriz Romero Cordero and Dave Steinberg. I'm very thankful to all for being given this opportunity.

Anole in the rough

Today some members of the team mixed 18 holes of golf with data collection. It turns out that the Río Mar Resort and Golf Course, has one of the most challenging golf course in the island. Which includes a very dense "hierba de guinea" the preferred habitat of A. pulchellus.