Fire Increases Genetic Diversity of Populations of Six-Lined Racerunner.

Wildfires are highly variable and can disturb habitats, leading to direct and indirect effects on the genetic characteristics of local populations. Florida scrub is a fire-dependent, highly fragmented, and severely threatened habitat. Understanding the effect of fire on genetic characteristics of the species that use this habitat is critically important.

Epigenetic response to environmental change: DNA methylation varies with invasion status.

Epigenetic mechanisms may be important for a native species' response to rapid environmental change. Red Imported Fire Ants ( Santschi, 1916) were recently introduced to areas occupied by the Eastern Fence Lizard ( Bosc & Daudin, 1801). Behavioral, morphological and physiological phenotypes of the Eastern Fence Lizard have changed following invasion, creating a natural biological system to investigate environmentally induced epigenetic changes.