Adam Andres Rosso
University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, TX
Investigating correlates of DNA content in reptiles
Adam Andres Rosso, Matthew K. Fujita
The genome is composed of all DNA that is found in an organism. In vertebrates the DNA content of the genome has far reaching implications such as gene density, strength of selection, gene expression, and three-dimensional shape of the genome. Non-avian reptiles are a great group to investigate the evolution and function of DNA content because the genomes within this group are quite variable. We examine the DNA content of genomes in representatives from major lineages of squamates to better understand the evolutionary forces that shape DNA content and the implications of the variation that exists in this order. Preliminary analysis of coding regions suggests that at least one life history trait is not correlated with the nucleotide content. Further, coding regions of squamates seems to have nucleotide content that is intermediate of amphibians and other amniotes. We plan extend the scope of our analyses to include genome wide correlates that are typically associated with nucleotide content. We expect these results to contribute to the growing body of evidence that supports the leading theory for the maintenance of nucleotide content in genomes.
SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference, Phoenix, AZ, October 30-November 2, 2024
