Living turtles are characterized by extraordinarily low species diversity given their age. The
clade's extensive fossil record indicates that climate and biogeography may have played …

Geckos are a species-rich clade of reptiles possessing diverse sex determining
mechanisms. Some species possess genetic sex determination, with both male and female …

Temperate species of turtles hatch from eggs in late summer. The hatchlings of some
species leave their natal nest to hibernate elsewhere on land or under water, whereas …

As phylogenetic data sets grow in size and number, objective methods to summarize this
information are becoming increasingly important. Supermatrices can combine existing data …

Marine chelonians have inhabited the earth for over 100 million years, since the Cretaceous
(Hirayama, 1998) and the fossil record reveals that four families were established during this …

The sea turtles are a group of cretaceous origin containing seven recognized living species:
leatherback, hawksbill, Kemp's ridley, olive ridley, loggerhead, green, and flatback. The …

Reptiles display a wide diversity of sex-determining mechanisms ranging from temperature-
dependent sex determination (TSD) to genotypic sex determination (GSD) with either male …

Background Sea turtles (Chelonoidea) are a charismatic group of marine reptiles that
occupy a range of important ecological roles. However, the diversity and evolution of their …

Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is widespread in nature and may result from selection
operating differentially on males and females. Rensch's rule, the increase of SSD with body …

Although much progress has been achieved in understanding the genetic basis of
adaptation, the drivers of genome evolution remain obscure. For instance, extensive …