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Welcome! » Postdoctoral Fellows » Amy S. Turmelle


Rachel Goodman

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Research Interests

I am a broadly interested evolutionary ecologist whose research spans topics as diverse as thermal ecology, phenotypic plasticity, and applied, conservation-oriented work. Over the past several years, I have also become a herpetologist who works primarily with lizards, but I am always interested in exploring different organisms and systems. My dissertation research explores geographic variation in cell size, growth rates, and body size, and temperature-induced plasticity of these traits.

Geographic variation in body size greatly interests biologists because of the influence of body size on most aspects of life. Temperature is considered a major influence on size in reptiles, particularly in oviparious species where embryonic development may be susceptible to the environment. A negative relationship between cell size and temperature has been demonstrated in many ectothermic invertebrates, in both developmental and evolutionary contexts. Larger cells (standardized per unit of tissue) may be more efficient with respect to energy and allow for lower metabolic rates, which may be advantageous in colder environments with lower resource availability and/or predictability. However, the generality of relationships between environmental temperature, cell size, and body size have not been established and have scarcely been examined in vertebrates  My dissertation consists of two parts: I) Potential contributions of temperature-induced plasticity at the cellular and organismal level to body size differences among populations of the lizard Anolis carolinensis; and II) Geographic variation in cell size and body size throughout the range of A. carolinensis, and relationships with latitudinal and climatic gradients. 

Additionally, I have worked on the following studes during my graduate work at UTK:  behavioral ecology and conservation of a rare endemic iguana in the Caribbean; effects of tail autotomy on locomotion and growth of juvenile lizards; effects of developmental temperature on thermoregulation in juvenile lizards; and comparison of thermal dynamics and temperature selection in juveniles of two sympatric lizard species.

Selected Publications

  • Goodman, R.M. 2008.  Students contribute to a global community through improvement 
    of Wikipedia. The American Biology Teacher (In Press).
  • Goodman, R.M., C.R. Knapp, K.A. Bradley, G.P. Gerber, A.C. Alberts. Review of radio transmitter attachment methods for West Indian rock iguanas (genus Cyclura). Caribbean Journal of Science (In Press).
  • Goodman, R.M., J.W. Walguarnery. 2007. Incubation temperature modifies neonatal thermoregulation in the lizard Anolis carolinensis. Journal of Experimental Zoology 307A(8): 439-448.
  • Goodman, R.M. 2007. Activity patterns and foraging behavior of the endangered Grand Cayman blue iguana, Cyclura lewisi. Caribbean Journal of Science 43(1):73-86.
  • Goodman, R.M. 2006. Effects of tail loss on growth and sprint speed of juvenile lizards, Eumeces fasciatus (Scincidae). Journal of Herpetology 40(1): 99-102.
  • Goodman, R.M., F.J. Burton and A.C. Echternacht. 2005. Habitat use of the endangered iguana Cyclura lewisi in a human-modified landscape on Grand Cayman. Animal Conservation 8(4):397-405.
  • Goodman, R.M., A.C. Echternacht,and F. J. Burton. 2005. Spatial ecology of the endangered iguana, Cyclura lewisi, in a disturbed setting on Grand Cayman. Journal of Herpetology 39(3):402-408.

Contact Information

Rachel Goodman
Ph.D. Student
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
569 Dabney Hall
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-1610

Phone: (865) 974-6188
Fax: (865) 974-3067
Email: rmgoodman@utk.edu