ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY PHYSIOLOGY OF ECTOTHERMS
We are integrative biologists interested in the evolutionary and ecological physiology of ectotherms. Our work combines field and laboratory experiments to study how organisms (mainly lizards, snakes, and salamanders) deal with variation in environmental conditions and the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these strategies. Navigate through this site to find information about each of these topics and additional information about the lab and it’s members.
Last updated August 2022
We are integrative biologists interested in the evolutionary and ecological physiology of ectotherms. Our work combines field and laboratory experiments to study how organisms (mainly lizards, snakes, and salamanders) deal with variation in environmental conditions and the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these strategies. Navigate through this site to find information about each of these topics and additional information about the lab and it’s members.
Last updated August 2022
LAB NEWS:
June-December 2021
2019-2020.....up to now (June 2021)
April-May 2018
March 2018
December 2017 - January 2018
August - November 2017
February/March 2017
January 2017
April 2016
Januray - March 2016
November 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2014
December 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
May 2014
April 2014
January 2014
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
June 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
June-December 2021
- Justin Mosbey defended his thesis on reproductive life history of Sceloporus consobrinus in Arkansas.
- Collaborative State Wildlife Grant proposal with Ginny and Reid Adams was funded to study thermal tolerance of stream fishes in the Ouachita River drainage.
2019-2020.....up to now (June 2021)
- Wow.....time has passed quickly. Lots has happened over the last few years. Andrew and Katherine have graduated and moved on to gainful employment in Missouri (Andrew) and Pennsylvania (Katherine). Justin is finishing his thesis, working full time, and taking care of a new baby. Mikie Deutsch joined the lab and, like Joe, has been extremely successful in grant writing to support his thesis research. Calvin is working on new projects looking at Sceloporus thermoregulation, for which he received research funding from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
- Extremely exciting stuff coming up in the lab. Tanner Senti is joining us in the Fall for his MS and David Adams will be joining us officially as an undergraduate (although David is somewhat of a lab veteran having worked in the lab for a couple years when he was in high school).
April-May 2018
- Former lab members, Tim Clay and Jeremy Chamberlain, both accepted tenure-track faculty positions!!! Huge Congrats dudes!!! We are so very proud of both of you.
March 2018
- Congratulations to lab members Chris and Angie for being accepted into two great labs (Chris will join Bob Cox at UVA and Angie will join Sarah Diamond at Case Western) for their PhD work starting next Fall!!
- I got word I was being recommended for Tenure and Promotion
- Former lab member, Tim Clay, and I just had a paper accepted for publication in Journal of Biogeography on evolutionary patterns of thermal performance in salamanders.
December 2017 - January 2018
- Matt was awarded a grant to build outdoor experimental enclosures for lizard experiments (on campus!!). Lots of fun to come!!
August - November 2017
- Jeremy Chamberlain (former PhD student), Ian Clifton (former MS student), and I had a manuscript accepted for publication in the Canadian Journal of Zoology.
- Congratulations to Chris Robinson and Marci Polett, both of whom successfully defended their theses in October!
- Welcome to new graduate student, Andrew Feltmann!
February/March 2017
- Former MS student Ian Clifton just had his first manuscript accepted for publication in the Journal of Zoology.
- Angie Lenard was awarded a Student Research Grant ($1,000) to support her work on the metabolic physiology of lizard embryos!
January 2017
- David Dussourd and I are recruiting a MS student for research on the energetic consequences of insect behaviors that circumvent plant defenses. Please see this advertisement for more information.
April 2016
- Tim Clay successfully defended his dissertation! He will be moving on to a postdoc in June at the University of Tulsa in Ron Bonett's lab.
- Ian Clifton successfully defended his Masters thesis. He will be moving on to join Jeanine Refsnider's lab at the University of Toledo!
Januray - March 2016
- Tim's paper in Ethology came out and Jeremy had a paper accepted for publication in Copeia
- Marci received funding for her research on the effects of maternally transferred hormones in Sceloporus
- The special issue of Copeia highlighting papers from the 6th Conference of the Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders is slated to appear in the April issue. Matt co-edited this issue and has a contribution included in it.
November 2015
- Ian and Amber both received funding for travel to the SICB meeting in Portland
- Chris received funding for his research on natural and sexual selection in prairie lizards
- New paper on thermal sensitivity of aggression in lungless salamanders accepted for publication in Ethology.
May 2015
- New paper on energetic trade-offs in watersnakes accepted for publication in Oecologia.
April 2015
- Matt gave a seminar on the evolution of watersnake morphology and physiology at the University of Louisville.
- Matt gave a seminar on the physiology and ecology of responses to climate change at Arkansas Tech University
- Thanks to Tom Clifton for designing and producing our new lab logo (see above).
March 2014
- Ian landed a grant for his research on the quantitative genetics of watersnake cranial variation
December 2014
- Two new papers accepted recently, one in Herpetological Review and one in Journal of Thermal Biology.
September 2014
- New paper Online Early in Journal of Zoology.
August 2014
- New paper accepted for publication in Journal of Zoology.
July 2014
- The Gifford lab has now transitioned to UCA! Still lots to unpack, however.
May 2014
- PhD student, Tim Clay, received the Rickett Award for outstanding graduate student in the College of Science! Way to go Tim!
- Ian Clifton, lab MS student, was awarded a Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grant from AMNH to support his Masters research on the evolution of cranial morphology in water snakes!
April 2014
- National Geographic grant funded!
January 2014
- New paper accepted for publication in Functional Ecology!
- Lab undergrad Amanda Winters just published her first paper on water loss among populations of Plethodon montanus. Way to go Amanda!!!
November 2013
- New paper accepted for publication in Physiological and Biochemical Zoology!
October 2013
- Graduate student Jeremy Chamberlain was just awarded a $1,000 grant from Audubon Arkansas to support his research on reproductive life history in watersnakes!
September 2013
- New paper accepted for publication in Herpetological Conservation and Biology by lab undergrad, Amanda Winters. Her first pub! Way to go Amanda.
August 2013
- New paper accepted for publication in Herpetologica dealing with behavioral and performance variation among female pattern morphs in Anolis sagrei.
- We finally had our first litter of the year born to one of our pregnant female Nerodia rhombifer. She had a large litter (37 offspring). Things should get really interesting now since we are waiting on an additional 80 females to do the same!
June 2013
- Just returned from a very successful field trip to the southern Appalachians. Stay tuned for information about exciting projects....both new and continued!
March 2013
- Just received news that we got the cover of Functional Ecology! Thanks to Steve Beaupre for allowing us to use his photo.
- New paper on salamander metabolic scaling posted in the Online Early section of Journal of Experimental Zoology, Part A (see Publications)
February 2013
- New paper on lizard thermoregulation posted in the Early View section of Functional Ecology (see Publications)
January 2013
- New paper accepted for publication in Functional Ecology. This paper takes an experimental approach to examine the energetic cost of thermoregulation in hatchling lizards.
- New paper on metabolic scaling in a salamander accepted for publication in Journal of Experimental Zoology, Part A.
November 2012
- Congrats to Ian Clifton, undergraduate in the lab, for receiving a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE). This fellowship will fund his research on inter-population variation in head shape of diamondback watersnakes.
- New paper on thermal acclimation posted in the Online First section of Journal of Comparative Physiology, PartB (see Publications)
October 2012
- Matt and former Masters student Vanessa Young have a new paper accepted for publication in Journal of Comparative Physiology, Part B. Way to go Vanessa, thesis paper accepted for publication the same year you graduated with your Masters!
- Tim Clay has just passed his candidacy exam and is now a full-fledged PhD candidate! Congrats Tim!!!
- Matt is heading to Eleuthera, Bahamas to resample a population of curly-tailed lizards, Leiocephalus carinatus, originally sampled in May-June of this year. Hopefully the weather holds out for us!
September 2012
- The lab welcomes several new undergraduate researchers who will be conducting some exciting work in the coming months (see the "Personnel" tab above for details)
- Paper describing new species of mosquitofish from Mexico in print (online early) in Journal of Fish Biology. This paper has already received some media attention; particularly about this species' "hooked" genitalia and speculations on its use. A few links can be found here, here, and here.
