Until relatively recently, many groups of terrestrial reptiles were considered to contain only few species vastly distributed across the Arabian Peninsula. This was mostly the result of the apparent morphological uniformity ...

Climatic conditions changing over time and space shape the evolution of organisms at multiple levels, including temperate lizards in the family Lacertidae. Here we reconstruct a dated phylogenetic tree of 262 lacertid ...

In endangered species, low-genetic variation and inbreeding result from recent population declines. Genetic screenings in endangered populations help to assess their vulnerability to extinction and to create informed ...

This thesis provides new insights into the evolution of biodiversity in arid regions by exploring the patterns and drivers of reptile diversity in the Hajar Mountains of Southeastern Arabia. We first assemble a genomic ...