Molecular and functional bases of insular melanism in lacertid lizards.

This project aims to investigate the molecular origins of this recurrent melanism and tests a number of hypotheses on how it may have evolved. Many (but not all) cases of melanism in mammals and birds have been traced back to mutations in the MC1R gene, a gene that codes for a key component of the melanocortin system, which regulates the synthesis of the pigment melanin. We aim to isolate and sequence this gene in our study populations, to see whether a similar story can be told for lacertid lizards.

Keywords:ECOLOGY, ECOMORPHOLOGY

Disciplines:Animal biology, Veterinary medicine

Project type:Collaboration project