Nick Crawford Evolution and more…

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At the South Rim

Yours truly in Arizona

My name is Nicholas (Nick) Crawford. I am a PhD student at Boston University working with Dr. Christopher Schneider. I’m also part of a larger collaboration with the Hoekstra and Losos labs at Harvard University.
My PhD dissertation work involves the genetics of speciation and adaptation in Anolis lizards. Anoles represent one of the largest adaptive radiations of any vertebrate taxa.  In the Caribbean alone there are at least 150 different species.  Anoles are unusual in that they have a specialized gular fold, called a dewlap, that they use to signal to conspecifics.  These dewlaps come in a multitude of colors: red, orange, yellow, pink, purple, blue – you name it some species probably has it!  Many of these colors, yellow and orange in particular, appear to have evolved independently in multiple lineages.  Thus, anoles are an ideal model to study convergent evolution of pigmentation.
As such, I’m am using the anole genome, from A. carolinensis, in combination with next generation sequencing and other methods, to identify pigmentation genes that are differentially expressed in differently colored anole skin.
Although you might say that anoles ‘rule my world’ at the moment, this was not always the case.  Previously, I have worked at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) in Aiken South Carolina. There I was technician in Dr. Travis Glenn’s molecular ecology laboratory. Working for Dr. Glenn, my primary duty was to assist with the development and screening of microsatellite loci.  Prior to my time at SREL, I completed a masters at San Diego State University with Dr. Tod Reeder.  My MS thesis project investigated population structure and genetic variation within a genus of asexual whiptail lizards (=Aspidoscelis velox).

Background:

My name is Nicholas (Nick) Crawford. I am a PhD student at Boston University working with Dr. Christopher Schneider. I’m also part of a larger collaboration with the Hoekstra and Losos labs at Harvard University.

My PhD dissertation involves the genetics of speciation and adaptation in Anolis lizards. Anoles represent one of the largest adaptive radiations of any vertebrate taxa.  In the Caribbean alone there are at least 150 different species.  Anoles are unusual in that they have a specialized gular fold, called a dewlap, that they use to signal to conspecifics.  Dewlaps come in many colors: red, orange, yellow, pink, purple, blue – you name it some species probably has it!  Some of these colors, yellow and orange in particular, appear to have evolved independently in multiple lineages.  Thus, anoles are an ideal model to study convergent evolution of pigmentation.  As such, I am using the anole genome, from Anolis carolinensis, in combination with next generation sequencing and other methods, to identify pigmentation genes that are differentially expressed in differently colored anole skin.

Anole with dewlap

Anole with dewlap

Although you might say that anoles ‘rule my world’ at the moment, this was not always the case.  Previously, I have worked at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) in Aiken South Carolina. There I was technician in Dr. Travis Glenn’s molecular ecology laboratory. Working for Dr. Glenn, my primary duty was to assist with the development and screening of microsatellite loci.  Prior to my time at SREL, I completed a masters at San Diego State University with Dr. Tod Reeder.  My MS thesis project investigated population structure and genetic variation within a genus of asexual whiptail lizards (=Aspidoscelis velox).

General Information:

  • My Physical Address:
    • I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  • My Email Address:
    • Personal: NGCrawford[at]gmail.com
    • Professional: ngcrawfo[at]bu.edu (my students should use this email address)

Recent Publications:

  • Nicholas G. Crawford. 2009. SMOGD: Software for the Measurement of Genetic Diversity. Molecular Ecology Resources. In Press.
    • SMOGD is accessible here
  • Rebecca Tarvin, Nicholas G. Crawford, Christopher J. Schneider. 2009/2010. Seventy-six polymorphic microsatellite loci from the Leopard Anole, Anolis marmoratus (Polychrotidae:Squamata). Molecular Ecology Resources. In Preparation.
  • Nicholas G. Crawford, Maureen B. Peters, Cris Hagen, Travis C. Glenn, Stephen K. Davis, Christopher M. Somers. 2009. Twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci from Sprague's pipit, Anthus spragueii (Motacillidae:Passeriformes), a threatened grassland endemic songbird. Molecular Ecology Resources, 9, 315-317.
  • Caleb R. Hickman, Maureen B. Peters, Nicholas G. Crawford, Cris Hagen, Travis C. Glenn, Christopher M. Sommers. 2008. Development and characterization of microsatellite loci in the American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). Molecular Ecology Resources, 8, 1439-1441.
  • Nicholas G. Crawford, Jaime Zaldvar-Rae, Cris Hagen, Amanda Schable, Erica Bree Rosenblum, Jeff A. Graves, Tod W. Reeder, Michael G. Ritchie, Travis C. Glenn. 2008. Thirteen polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci from whiptails of the genus Aspidoscelis (Teiidae: Squamata) and related cnemidophorine lizards. Molecular Ecology Resources, 8, 219-223.
  • Nicholas G. Crawford, Cris Hagen, Heather F. Sahli, Elizabeth A. Stacy, Travis C. Glenn. 2008. Fifteen polymorphic microsatellite loci from Hawaii's Metrosideros polymorpha (Myrtaceae: Myrtales), a model species for ecology and evolution. Molecular Ecology Resources, 8, 308-310
  • Olga V. Tsyusko, Tracey D. Tuberville, Maureen B. Peters, Nicholas Crawford, Cris Hagen, Steve Weller, Ann Sakai, and Travis C. Glenn. 2007. Microsatellite markers isolated from polyploid woodsorrell (Oxalis alpina). Molecular Ecology Notes, 7, 1284-1286.
  • Nicholas G. Crawford. 2007. Microsatellites in cnemidophorine lizards: their utility in investigating the landscape genetics of the plateau striped whiptail (Aspidoscelis velox Complex). Masters Thesis: San Diego State University.

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