Ctenosaura similis project in Central America:
One to two volunteers are needed to assist in a phylogenetic project
focusing on the relationships among Ctenosaura similis populations. C.
similis is the most wide spread of all the spiny tailed iguana species,
ranging from Mexico to Panama. Various people have proposed subspecific
recognition of certain populations but a detailed molecular evaluation of
this species throughout its entire range has never been conducted. In
collaboration with Larry Buckley from RIT and Victor Hugo Reynoso from UNAM
thorough samples have been collected from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras
thus far. This summer we hope to continue our collection south into
Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Field assistants will be expected to aid in the capture and collection of
DNA samples. Experience with handling large reptiles and Spanish language
skills are greatly appreciated and required for this position. A Twelve
hour work day in a variety of environmental conditions, from swamp to
desert, is to be expected. The exact dates of this field season have not yet
been solidified but in total one month will be spent in the field during the
summer (June August). Volunteers will be provided with housing, food and
travel within Central America for the duration of their stay. Travel to
Central America will need to be covered by the volunteer.
If you are interested please send a cover letter, a CV, and names,
addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail contacts of 3 references to Stesha
Pasachnik (spasachn@utk.edu) with Field Assistant in the subject heading.
Application will be reviewed as they are received starting March 1st 2008.
For additional information please contact:
Stesha Pasachnik
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Tennessee, Knoxville TN
spasachn@utk.edu
2-10-2008
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