Abstract
Understanding the patterns and processes underlying species diversification and adaptation, the evolution of communities and biogeography is one of the fundamental goals of the biological sciences. These topics can be investigated using phylogenies. Ideally, they should be studied in all kinds of environmental situations using many taxa but until recently the phylogenies needed were too numerous and time consuming to produce. Because of this, studies have usually concentrated on single taxa or relatively simple island communities. However, single taxa are not suitable to elucidate complex interactive processes and island systems are intrinsically very different from mainland ones and do not make adequate models for them. Fortunately, recent advances in DNA technology now allow robust phylogenies to be produced rapidly and economically. In this project, I propose to exploit these advances and my wide experience in similar projects to address a whole range of general evolutionary, ecological and biogeographic questions and to explore as many uses of phylogenies as possible using as a model the complex mainland and island communities of North Africa, Arabia and adjoining areas. This region has been selected as a test bed because the morphological alpha-taxonomy of its more than 300 reptile species is now well known and the topography of the area is appropriate for the kind of study proposed. It contains severe habitats in the form of deserts that require substantial adaptation for occupation and are divided into subunits between some of which intermittent fauna mobility appears to have been possible. There are also montane areas with distinctive faunas, and nearby continental and oceanic islands of known approximate age. Estimates of phylogeny based on morphology are already available for many groups and less frequently some DNA sequence as well.
Europe