Many life-history traits, including age at maturity, reproductive output, mating success, and survival, are closely tied to an animal's size.  Though several theories have been proposed to explain patterns of body size variation along a single gradient, few have examined the effect of multiple factors on body size variation or tested these theories in a long-lived vertebrate.

My research will test several hypotheses related to body-size variation in Gophersnakes (P. catenifer).  Gophersnakes are large, wide-ranging colubrid snakes with documented geographic variation in
body size, growth, and other life history characteristics.  I will document body-size variation in three populations of Gophersnakes in central California.  Using common-garden experiments with hatchlings
born to Gophersnakes from each field site, I will examine the relative influences of genetic and environmental factors and test hypotheses related to temperature, predation, and prey availability.