Lizard adaptation genomics
We studied the genetics of the multicolor toad-headed lizard (Phrynochephalus versicolor). This lizard is originary from the Gobi Desert in China and Mongolia. There are different populations that vary in how much pigment they have in their skin. Most of the populations have light brown/yellow skin, same color as the sand they live in. However there is a melanic population, matching the black sand of the region where it lives. We identified candidate genes responsible for the polymorphism and explored the evolutionary forced acting on their evolution.