TOWNSEND LAB @ IUP
  • Home
  • PEOPLE
    • Lab Alumni
  • RESEARCH
    • Evolution & Biogeography
    • Upland Toads
    • Chortis Salamanders
    • Diversity of Anoles
    • Cryptozoic Snakes
    • Education and Extension
    • Appalachian Salamanders >
      • Desmognathus Assemblage Ecology
      • 2014 - Black Mountains, North Carolina
      • 2013 - Northern Georgia Mountains
      • 2012 - Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia
      • 2011 - Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina
  • PUBLICATIONS
    • Presentations
  • COURSES
    • Teaching Remotely from Honduras
    • BIOL 103 Life on Earth
    • BIOL 201 Principles of Ecology & Evolution
    • BIOL 425/525 Herpetology
    • BIOL 451/551 Evolutionary Biology
    • BIOL 450/550 Field Techniques at Pymatuning Lab of Ecology >
      • 2014 PLE Field Techniques Blog
      • 2013 Pymatuning Field Techniques Blog
      • 2013 Pymatuning Field Techniques Photos
  • PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
  • LINKS
  • Contact
Research in the Townsend Lab emphasizes the inherent connections between systematic biology and conservation, integrating field-based sampling and laboratory analyses into a framework that uses taxonomic inventory and monitoring to generate evolutionary and ecological questions, while promoting education and extension in support of broader conservation goals. A principle theme of the lab is elucidating the patterns and processes that generate taxonomic diversity, often resulting in taxonomic descriptions of new species and revisions of existing taxa. We apply quantitative species delimitation methods and integrate a variety of lines of evidence to address research questions, including phylogenetics and phylogenomics, microCT-based comparative osteology, bioacoustic analysis of vocalizations, species distribution modeling, and traditional comparative morphology.

While most of our research is focused in northern Central America, we maintain a dual geographic scope for our research efforts, with ongoing projects locally in Pennsylvania and broader Appalachia. Research in both regions centers on at-risk, fragmented ecosystems that are home to conservation-priority species, particularly amphibians and reptiles.

Click on one of the topics below to read more about our lab's research.


Evolution, Diversification, & Biogeography of the Chortis Herpetofauna

Evolution and Speciation in Mesoamerican Highland Toads

Salamanders of the Chortis Highlands

Diversity of Central American Anoles
Cryptozoic Snake Discovery & Delimitation

Appalachian Salamander Diversity and Conservation

Education and Extension

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  • Home
  • PEOPLE
    • Lab Alumni
  • RESEARCH
    • Evolution & Biogeography
    • Upland Toads
    • Chortis Salamanders
    • Diversity of Anoles
    • Cryptozoic Snakes
    • Education and Extension
    • Appalachian Salamanders >
      • Desmognathus Assemblage Ecology
      • 2014 - Black Mountains, North Carolina
      • 2013 - Northern Georgia Mountains
      • 2012 - Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia
      • 2011 - Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina
  • PUBLICATIONS
    • Presentations
  • COURSES
    • Teaching Remotely from Honduras
    • BIOL 103 Life on Earth
    • BIOL 201 Principles of Ecology & Evolution
    • BIOL 425/525 Herpetology
    • BIOL 451/551 Evolutionary Biology
    • BIOL 450/550 Field Techniques at Pymatuning Lab of Ecology >
      • 2014 PLE Field Techniques Blog
      • 2013 Pymatuning Field Techniques Blog
      • 2013 Pymatuning Field Techniques Photos
  • PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
  • LINKS
  • Contact