Randy Klabacka
@chico-huico.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Biology at BYU | Evolutionary Genetics | Bioenergetics | Herpetology
I’m so proud of Sadie and Jordan! They did a great job presenting their research on genetic and morphological examination of non-native New Mexico whiptail lizards. #JMIH25
July 14, 2025 at 3:10 AM
I’m so proud of Sadie and Jordan! They did a great job presenting their research on genetic and morphological examination of non-native New Mexico whiptail lizards. #JMIH25
Differential gene expression was observed between tissues, species, and reproductive modes (asexual vs sexual) in whiptail lizards by Josh Rivera. Very cool! #JMIH25
July 13, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Differential gene expression was observed between tissues, species, and reproductive modes (asexual vs sexual) in whiptail lizards by Josh Rivera. Very cool! #JMIH25
Higher rates of amino-acid changing mutations in a hybrid unisexual whiptail species compared to its parental species with lots of variation in different gene categories- super cool findings by Zoë Müller! #JMIH25
July 13, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Higher rates of amino-acid changing mutations in a hybrid unisexual whiptail species compared to its parental species with lots of variation in different gene categories- super cool findings by Zoë Müller! #JMIH25
What the heck are unisexual salamanders good at? @amphibs.bsky.social looked into the chemical composition of skin secretions. Of 67 unique compounds, sexual species have more than the unisexuals- so more digging is left to answer the original question.
July 13, 2025 at 7:45 PM
What the heck are unisexual salamanders good at? @amphibs.bsky.social looked into the chemical composition of skin secretions. Of 67 unique compounds, sexual species have more than the unisexuals- so more digging is left to answer the original question.
The impact of salinity exposure during development has been examined in fish and amphibians, but little is known about reptiles (despite many coastal species). Sydney Wayne gave a fantastic talk showing the negative impact of both exposure to and development in saline environments #JMIH25
July 13, 2025 at 2:56 PM
The impact of salinity exposure during development has been examined in fish and amphibians, but little is known about reptiles (despite many coastal species). Sydney Wayne gave a fantastic talk showing the negative impact of both exposure to and development in saline environments #JMIH25
Andrew Durso presented on the utility and development of a snake ID app. Many cases of snake bite go un/misidentified to the species level (only 5% are identified in the USA). The app is awesome on par with several other major AI identification apps (inat, Merlin) #JMIH25
July 13, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Andrew Durso presented on the utility and development of a snake ID app. Many cases of snake bite go un/misidentified to the species level (only 5% are identified in the USA). The app is awesome on par with several other major AI identification apps (inat, Merlin) #JMIH25
Jack Dirck showed that Mediterranean House Geckos introduced broadly in the USA show evidence of dispersal via stepping stone and a mainland-island effect (in different regions).
July 11, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Jack Dirck showed that Mediterranean House Geckos introduced broadly in the USA show evidence of dispersal via stepping stone and a mainland-island effect (in different regions).
Dellen Roush showed that a species of lungless salamander (Plethodon cinerea) don’t seem to select regions under cover refugia for thermoregulation- at least when looking at the two dimensional space. It may be that they thermoregulate vertically in the soil rather than across the horizontal space.
July 11, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Dellen Roush showed that a species of lungless salamander (Plethodon cinerea) don’t seem to select regions under cover refugia for thermoregulation- at least when looking at the two dimensional space. It may be that they thermoregulate vertically in the soil rather than across the horizontal space.
Herbivorous lizards have several “rules” (rare, large bodies, tropical, warm climates) that are broken in the family Liolaemidae- the family of lizards with the most herbivorous species. Bobby Espinoza gave such a fun talk packed with photos, data, hypotheses, and questions. #JMIH25
July 11, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Herbivorous lizards have several “rules” (rare, large bodies, tropical, warm climates) that are broken in the family Liolaemidae- the family of lizards with the most herbivorous species. Bobby Espinoza gave such a fun talk packed with photos, data, hypotheses, and questions. #JMIH25
Snake fungal disease, officially reported in the US in 2006, might have origins as early as 1945. Looking at 531 New Mexico museum specimens from five snake species, Hannah Bradley assessed presence of SFD, performed swab tests, and qPCR, with evidence for SFD in NM dating back to 2006. #JMIH25
July 10, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Snake fungal disease, officially reported in the US in 2006, might have origins as early as 1945. Looking at 531 New Mexico museum specimens from five snake species, Hannah Bradley assessed presence of SFD, performed swab tests, and qPCR, with evidence for SFD in NM dating back to 2006. #JMIH25
Looking at stable isotopes in museum-preserved fishes and herps from the past ~70 years, Bryce Sweely showed relatively slow niche shifts occur in native species compared to introduced species. Some intro sp have narrow niches that directly compete with nat sp, while others are more broad #JMIH25
July 10, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Looking at stable isotopes in museum-preserved fishes and herps from the past ~70 years, Bryce Sweely showed relatively slow niche shifts occur in native species compared to introduced species. Some intro sp have narrow niches that directly compete with nat sp, while others are more broad #JMIH25
#JMIH25 hit a home run with the plenary by @amphibs.bsky.social on the history and new findings of work with unisexual Ambystoma. An excellently transparent explanation of how frustrating and fascinating this group has been, with data frequently created more questions without answering current ones.
July 10, 2025 at 2:30 PM
#JMIH25 hit a home run with the plenary by @amphibs.bsky.social on the history and new findings of work with unisexual Ambystoma. An excellently transparent explanation of how frustrating and fascinating this group has been, with data frequently created more questions without answering current ones.
I love an inspiring travelogue. #JMIH25 started for me with a great talk about adventure, resilience, accepting mistakes, and making discoveries in both new- and old-world tropics by David Bickford.
July 10, 2025 at 2:19 PM
I love an inspiring travelogue. #JMIH25 started for me with a great talk about adventure, resilience, accepting mistakes, and making discoveries in both new- and old-world tropics by David Bickford.
Real images from green algae of the respirasome ("supercomplex" of CI, CIII, and CIV) with tons of nearby ATP synthase. Love the artistic rendition on the cover of Science this month. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
March 24, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Real images from green algae of the respirasome ("supercomplex" of CI, CIII, and CIV) with tons of nearby ATP synthase. Love the artistic rendition on the cover of Science this month. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Life update- I moved from the low desert to the high desert for a new position as assistant professor in the BYU Biology Department. It is an honor to come back as a faculty member to the institution where I developed my love for evolution and herpetology! #RiseAndShout
January 9, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Life update- I moved from the low desert to the high desert for a new position as assistant professor in the BYU Biology Department. It is an honor to come back as a faculty member to the institution where I developed my love for evolution and herpetology! #RiseAndShout
I had such a great time at #SICB2025 it was great catching up with friends, seeing amazing presentations, and saying bye to awesome Utah Tech students.
January 9, 2025 at 8:19 PM
I had such a great time at #SICB2025 it was great catching up with friends, seeing amazing presentations, and saying bye to awesome Utah Tech students.
Climbing performance is multivariate- climbing and clinging show different patterns for different claw types in common wall lizards. There was also a clear interaction between SVL and sex on sprint speed. Cool lessons from wall lizards by @eric-gangloff.bsky.social and his lab! #SICB2025
January 9, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Climbing performance is multivariate- climbing and clinging show different patterns for different claw types in common wall lizards. There was also a clear interaction between SVL and sex on sprint speed. Cool lessons from wall lizards by @eric-gangloff.bsky.social and his lab! #SICB2025
Red house finch plumage (via carotenoids) is associated with mito coloration, and a coloration gene is in the mitochondrial inner membrane, but the predicted primary conversion gene (CYP2J19) appears to localize to the ER (not mito)! Great talk by Rebecca Koch at #SICB2025
January 9, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Red house finch plumage (via carotenoids) is associated with mito coloration, and a coloration gene is in the mitochondrial inner membrane, but the predicted primary conversion gene (CYP2J19) appears to localize to the ER (not mito)! Great talk by Rebecca Koch at #SICB2025
Longevity (in muscles, fish, and birds) associated with decreased rates of synonymous and nonsynonym mutation rates, with no evidence for selection (dN/dS) or specific mutation bias as a mechanism promoting longevity. Super cool talk by Jess Sterling from the Havird Lab at UT #SICB2025
January 4, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Longevity (in muscles, fish, and birds) associated with decreased rates of synonymous and nonsynonym mutation rates, with no evidence for selection (dN/dS) or specific mutation bias as a mechanism promoting longevity. Super cool talk by Jess Sterling from the Havird Lab at UT #SICB2025
Interactions of mitochondrial and nuclear gene products drive rates of evolution in associated co-evolving genes. Justin Havird and @rjweaver.bsky.social used evolutionary rate covariation (ERC) to show this in mammals, supporting previous findings in insects and bivalves. #Evol2024
July 27, 2024 at 3:33 PM
Interactions of mitochondrial and nuclear gene products drive rates of evolution in associated co-evolving genes. Justin Havird and @rjweaver.bsky.social used evolutionary rate covariation (ERC) to show this in mammals, supporting previous findings in insects and bivalves. #Evol2024
Alternative oxidases in the electron transport chains of springtails may have been horizontally transferred from a protist?!😳 whether this is the case in for other AOX tbd. crazy stuff from @rjweaver.bsky.social #Evol2024
July 27, 2024 at 3:31 PM
Alternative oxidases in the electron transport chains of springtails may have been horizontally transferred from a protist?!😳 whether this is the case in for other AOX tbd. crazy stuff from @rjweaver.bsky.social #Evol2024
Capturing “real” species is like looking for the end of a 🌈. We should be more transparent about species ranks as judgements rather than hypotheses (2009). Loved hearing David Baum’s efforts to quantify species with concordance/exclusivity factors & breeding potential! #Evol2024
July 27, 2024 at 2:08 PM
Capturing “real” species is like looking for the end of a 🌈. We should be more transparent about species ranks as judgements rather than hypotheses (2009). Loved hearing David Baum’s efforts to quantify species with concordance/exclusivity factors & breeding potential! #Evol2024
We’re excited to be representing Utah Tech in Montreal for #Evol2024! Dusty, Syrus, and Vicente will be giving posters on frogs, bacteria, and whiptail lizards. Looking forward to seeing familiar faces, meeting new people, and seeing awesome science
July 27, 2024 at 2:07 PM
We’re excited to be representing Utah Tech in Montreal for #Evol2024! Dusty, Syrus, and Vicente will be giving posters on frogs, bacteria, and whiptail lizards. Looking forward to seeing familiar faces, meeting new people, and seeing awesome science