| This research implements Phrynosoma as a model system to investigate how morphological characters vary with the environment across multiple spatial scales. To examine relationships between morphology and environmental features at a broad scale, I employed a biodiversity informatics approach incorporating museum specimen data, GIS-based climate data, and phylogenetic data to assess variation in species trait and environmental data in a phylogenetic context. I found a strong positive correlation between morphology and bioclimatic features among Phrynosoma species. To examine relationships between morphology and environmental features at a local scale, I compared morphological characters and habitat use among three species of Phrynosoma and among three populations of P. hernandesi. Results corroborated the broad-scale analysis and recognized significant relationships between morphology and habitat among species, but not within species. This research reveals new information about the ecology of species in this genus and has implications for competition theory, conservation, and ecomorphology theory. |
