Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2004 Phylogeography of the Sigmodontine Rodent, Phyllotis Xanthopygus, and a Test of the Sensitivity of Nested Clade Analysis to Elevation-Based Alternative Distances James Christopher Albright Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact
[email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF THE SIGMODONTINE RODENT, PHYLLOTIS XANTHOPYGUS, AND A TEST OF THE SENSITIVITY OF NESTED CLADE ANALYSIS TO ELEVATION-BASED ALTERNATIVE DISTANCES By JAMES C. ALBRIGHT A thesis submitted to the Department of Biological Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2004 The members of the Committee approve the thesis of James Albright defended on November 1, 2004. ______________________________ Scott Steppan Professor Directing Thesis ______________________________ Don Levitan Committee Member ______________________________ David Swofford Committee Member The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii I am dedicating this thesis to my family: a group that includes those bound to me either by kinship or by friendship. This extended clan includes the FSU E&E graduate students, and my friends of BYOE just as much as it does my parents and siblings. Particularly close to my heart are my close friends Dave Low, Sarah Tso, and Toni Sturtevant and my “big sister” Jill Holliday. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to acknowledge the myriad contributions that have added so much to this project. First off, I would like to thank my adviser, Scott Steppan, for his guidance, patience, support and general, all-around sagacity.