Examination of Genetic Structure in Mediterranean Geckos (Hemidactylus Turcicus) at the University of Oklahoma South Oval

Abstract

Mediterranean Geckos are an exotic species that are excellent for studying evolutionary mechanisms. They spread around the world by using the ability to adapt to human architecture. Once geckos are established, the population expands slowly. Our goal is to better understand processes limiting gene flow between groups that are relatively close to each other but that have diverged across short time spans, with collecting at least 20 geckos per building. We started sampling the invasion of geckos at the University of Oklahoma (OU), which was first colonized in the 1940s or 1950s by escapees from one of two buildings: Richard Hall or a laboratory near the current Clock Tower. We have surveyed fifteen buildings in the South Oval of the campus and found two buildings that do not have geckos. So far, we have collected over 124 samples from South Oval. We expect to see low genetic diversity and multiple genetic clusters compared to findings from other locations. The data collected from OU will be compared to UCO and the Oklahoma City Zoo, three independent colonizations with similar environmental conditions.