Horned Lizard Conservation Society Grant History and Summaries
2024
These two grants were funded by Wilson Stout
Mycha A. Van Allen - is a Ph.D. Student at Texas A&M University Department of Veterinary Integrative Bioscience. The work is to determine if Texas horned lizards are exposed to pesticides through the consumption of sublethally-exposed ants, which are a primary food source for the lizards. This research will specifically document two types of pesticide residues that are the most widely used insecticides for ant control. In addition, the research will evaluate the prevalence and levels of pesticide residues in ant populations within the lizard’s range and in lizard fecal pellets and will measure the various health parameters in captured lizards.
Kira Gangbin - is a Ph.D. Student at Texas Christian University. Radio telemetry will be used to evaluate nest-sites of natural and reintroduced populations of Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) to assess a female’s ability to select a nest site based on temperature, ant abundance, soil moisture, soil compaction, and vegetation structure. This information will be used to determine if there are suitable nesting sites and adequate resources available at reintroduction sites and how to best manage land for optimum horned lizard hatching success.
These two grants were partially funded by Russell Posch
Ana Paulina Gamboa Navarro - is a student at Universidad de la Sierra in Moctezuma, Sonora, Mexico. The project will study the dietary preferences of the Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solare) in the Sonoran Desert, Mexico. This research will investigate the variation in its diet, focusing on the relationship with ants and ontogeny, i.e., how dietary choices change throughout its development. Using comprehensive methods, including field surveys and fecal analysis, the results will enhance conservation management by providing specific insights into the importance of ants and seeds in the lizard's diet. This research project aims to significantly contribute to the understanding and conservation of Phrynosoma solare in its Mexican distribution.
Leah Carpenter - is a first year master’s Student of Ecology from San Diego State University. The project will pioneer a new methodology for using animal-borne biologgers with AI computation to quantify detailed aspects of the behavior and ecology of the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (FTHL), a threatened flagship species in the lower Colorado desert habitat. The accelerometry data will examine behavioral shifts associated with climate change and human activity.
Fabio Antonio Barcelo Ayala - an environmental Sciences Engineering Student from Sonora Institute of Technology in Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. The project will investigate the eco-physiology and resilience of Phrynosoma mcallii in northern Mexico in response to extreme temperature variations and prolonged droughts to discover how these horned lizards can adapt to a changing and extreme environment. The study will assess how P. mcallii (flat-tail horned lizard) manages water loss and temperature variations to gain deeper insights into their Eco physiological responses. The results obtained will provide crucial information for the conservation and effective management of this species in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss in the ecosystem of the El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de A ltar Biosphere Reserve. Furthermore, activities promoting citizen participation are proposed to engage the local community and the reserve.
2023
These two grants were funded by Wilson Stout
Kira Gangbin - is a Ph.D. student researcher at Texas Christian University. Her research involves evaluating the nest-sites of natural and reintroduced populations of Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) to assess a female’s ability to select a nest site based on temperature, ant abundance, soil moisture, soil compaction, and vegetation structure.
Luciano Guerra - is the Outreach Coordinator, Photographer, and Educator at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, TX. His project involves a plan to clear trails in an overgrown, neglected wildlife area so that habitat for horned lizards can be assessed, surveyed, and documented. This work will also access educational opportunities for visiting school children and special programs on horned lizard conservation and outreach.
Grant was funded by Russell Posch
Dr. Rafael A. Lara Resendiz - from the Technological Institute of Sonora, Mexico. This research will assess the vulnerability of Phrynosoma mcallii (Flat-tailed Horned Lizard) to climate warming throughout its distribution (Arizona, California, Baja California, and Sonora). The primary product will be a new climate change model that incorporates data related to the physiological tolerances, thermoregulatory behavior of P. mcallii and environmental thermal quality.
2022
Alex Fulton - Testing Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) Survey Methods for Efficiency and Effectiveness in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) is considered a Tier 1 Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC). To establish best practices for surveying Texas horned lizards, this project will compare commonly applied survey methodologies for population-level studies, including road cruising, foot searches, and drift fence arrays. To accomplish this, Alex will lead a team of researchers from the University of Oklahoma on Texas horned lizard surveys at three ODWC Wildlife Management Areas in western Oklahoma. This project will help establish optimized methodologies for population-level assessments of horned lizards, allowing for improved efficacy and efficiency of conservation efforts.
Craig Fischer - Integrating Fine-scale Landscape Genomics into Rangewide Monitoring and Management of Flat-tailed Horned Lizards. In California, the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) is considered a California Species of Special Concern. This project intends to prove the utility of genomic analysis as a complementary component of ongoing monitoring and management of the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard. Research will focus on fine-scale population trends for a meta-population outside El Centro, California on Naval Air Facility El Centro, and will compare these patterns to a separate population outside Yuma, AZ. Craig will use high-resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism data to estimate effective population size, dispersal, and connectivity. This study aims to identify patterns of Flat-tailed Horned Lizards at the population scale using high-throughput sequencing, compare these patterns across disjunct populations, and integrate these techniques into an actionable conservation plan.
Daniel Montoya - Mexican Plateau Horned Lizard Road Mortality and Ecological Traits of the State of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. While road development and expansion have always been linked to demographic growth in human population, road-associated mortality has been documented in many reptile species. This project intends to analyze the ecological impact that secondary roads in the municipality of Galeana, in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico, have on the Mexican Plateau Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma orbiculare). Additionally, a more comprehensive understanding of the diet of the Mexican Plateau Horned Lizard in the Sierra Madre Oriental portion of its distribution by collecting the gut content of lizards found Dead on Road. The data collected will further expand the knowledge of this endemic lizard to Mexico, allowing for the proposal of multidisciplinary methodologies to better understand and preserve this species.
2021
Grants were partially funded by the following big donors: Wilson Stout, Leslie Nossaman, Laurie Piepenbrink, and Anne Holt.
Danielle Miles - In Nevada, the Pygmy Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma douglasii) is considered a sensitive species, but their current distribution and threats are not known. Researchers will look for horned lizards at multiple monitoring locations to create a database of species occurrence records. This study will inform the current status of populations in Nevada and increase understanding of the long-term conservation needs of the species in the warmest part of its range.
Jesse Short - Rapid residential and agricultural development of sagebrush steppe habitat in Central Oregon has negatively affected local populations of the Pygmy Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma douglasii). This project will track lizards in undisturbed habitat with healthy populations, and use the data gathered to formulate a list of habitat specific parameters for use in evaluating existing/designing new habitat for P. douglassii in similar landscapes.
Nick Cairns - Overwinter mortality of the Greater Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) In southern Canada seems like a potential culprit and major risk to the persistence of northern populations in the future. This project is a non-invasive monitoring program to ascertain the conditions utilized by overwintering P. hernandesi at its northern range limits. The results can help explain local physiological adaptation, the importance of snow for this species, and the risk climate change may pose for its persistence.
Sam Eliades - This study's purpose is to improve the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) headstart program at the Oklahoma City Zoo and maximize horned lizard conservation and reintroduction efforts in the future. This project will study the gut microbial ecology of horned lizards pre- and post- release from the headstarting program, as well as assess behavioral tendencies in lizards at the Zoo and after reintroduction into the wild.
Saul Domingues Guerrero - The goal of this study is to test for differences in preferred body temperature between pregnant and non-pregnant females, elucidate if preferred body temperatures of pregnant females is inherited to their offspring, and test if preferred body temperatures during pregnancy impacts phenotype of newborns in the Mountain Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma orbiculare) in central Mexico. This study could help us better understand the susceptibility of horned lizards to climate change and suggest better practices for conservation strategies in the future.
Padraic Elliot - The goal of this study is to identify the causes of the poor reintroduction success of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) from zoos by comparing microhabitat use and availability between a privately-owned ranch with an established population of horned lizards and a nearby reintroduction site with recently reintroduced individuals in Mason County, Texas. By using morphological measurements, radio-tracking lizards, and habitat measurements, the project will look to see if different microhabitat use leads to evidence of higher stress in lizards. Project is through TCU.
Patrick Ryan - This study is part of a larger project to evaluate habitat variables to improve the reintroduction success of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) in Mason County, Texas. This portion of the study concentrates on habitat thermal characteristics, as thermal quality differences could be a key variable in the past low reintroduction success for zoos. Project is through TCU.
Rachel Alenius - Reintroduction projects of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) have been met with limited success, and the underlying causes are still unclear. Animals bred in captivity tend to have altered gut microbiomes, which could influence reintroduction success of horned lizards. Research study is in Mason County, Texas. This project aims to understand how gut microbiomes of wild populations compare to captive and reintroduced populations, which could lead to practical applications for captive breeding and release programs at zoos. Project is through TCU.
2020
Rachel Alenius - Ultimate goal is to improve captive breeding and reintroduction strategies for Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) by determining effects of diet on hunting skills and gut microbiomes of captive-bred lizards. Diet can contribute to differences related to microbiomes and foraging behaviors between wild and captive animals. It is unknown if such dietary modifications using harvester ants compared to available insects such as termites, waxworms, and crickets may influence the suitability of captive Texas Horned Lizards for reintroduction.
Paul Bunker - Funds are for collection kits with instructions to send to people who can collect horned lizard scat samples. It is difficult to obtain enough samples to train the dogs. This will be an ongoing issue as there will always be dogs to train. The larger project is to train dogs to sniff out horned lizards to help when doing field count and health assessments. This will supply scat to assist in the lab to help train the dogs.
Nicholas Kowal - One of the project goals is to better understand the distribution and micro-habitat selection of P. hernandesi in Nebraska which is probably at high risk. Another aspect of the project will be to collect DNA for a possible speciation between what might be two different species in Nebraska. May allow the horned lizard a higher at-risk status if found to be absent/declining with reasons pointing to a possible solution. This species is at the edge of its range in Nebraska. It could be an important project to help study the issues and to protect this edge. Will gather issues related to its food, predation, and habitat changes. Since the species is at its total eastern range edge this can be a vulnerable area for decline. Research here can be used in neighboring states. And maybe the process of understanding a species at the edge of its range can be used by other researchers for other species. No potential for other sources of funding.
2019
Ian Clifton - Greater Short-horned Lizards (P. hernandesi) of the Abajo Mountains in southeast Utah are live-bearing lizards that occur between ~2000m and ~2500m. Because they are live-bearing lizards they are some of the most vulnerable lizards based on the current climate change projections. By understanding how these animals interact with their thermal environment we can gain insight into how increasing temperature may affect this threatened population. The aim of the study is to characterize the thermal ecology and thermal environment of the Greater Short-horned Lizards in the Abajo Mountains to model the effects of climate change on a vulnerable lizard population.
Cecilia Aguilar-Morales – The distribution, behavior, and ecology of the Rock Horned Lizard (P. ditmarsi) are poorly known in Mexico and it should be nominated for protection under the NOM-059 Mexican endangered species law. This project will update the distribution and understand the population numbers of P. ditmarsi in the Sierra Baviacora area and probably 50 km north to Arizpe in Mexico and describe the habitat and vegetation.
Jessica Heckman – In order to best perform land management for Texas Horned Lizards (P. cornutum) survival, it is important to understand their habitat needs and manage to meet those needs. The study site for the project will be the Crossbar Management Area north of Amarillo, Texas. The microhabitat selection by Texas Horned Lizards will be investigated at two scales, one with powder tracking at a fine scale and radio telemetry on a coarser scale.
Kyla Garten – The technique called mark-recapture is used in wildlife research to understand the condition of the species. For reptiles, many invasive methods have been used. A new method called photo identification is a tool for research for the mark-recapture technique. It has been used successfully for mammal species and more recently with amphibians. This study will investigate this approach for the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (P. mcallii) in southeastern California and/or southwestern Arizona.
Paul Bunker – The study will train a dog in techniques in horned lizard detection as a pilot project to assess the capabilities. The study will take place in central Texas and will work with the San Antonio Zoo and Texas Horned Lizards (P. cornutum). This will aid in finding horned lizards in the field for researchers to better understand their health and numbers and aid in replacing more invasive techniques.
Teal Taylor – Just outside Butte, Montana there is a Superfund site to remediate the soils and vegetation after significant mining in the area. The study will focus on surveying this area for a Greater Short-Horned Lizard (P. hernandesi) population and the potential effects of this remediation on the lizards.
2018
Grants were partially supported by a donation from Alexander Cochran.
Sarah Wenner - Urban sprawl can lead to fragmentation of native species. This project will study the delineation and maintenance of conservation units of P. blainvillii in urban Southern California. This is the first fine-scale population genomic study of this species which is also a Species of Special Concern in California. Results will help determine how to guide management efforts to preserve or restore genetic diversity and connectivity for this species. The study will identify current and historical routes of gene flow along with adaptive differentiation.
Hannah Richards – As harvester ants decline in an area could there be other prey that could take their place. To understand this issue, horned lizard diet efficiency needs to be studied. The study will make predictions on evolution of nutrition adaptability with the decline of the harvester ant and increased nutrition coming from other prey. This study would also provide information to help find new places to relocate.
Dusty Rhoads - As zoos are releasing young horned lizards into reintroduction areas, there is a large amount that are lost due to predation. It is important to understand how important geographic color pattern adaptation is on the role of crypsis and survival. This study will help determine what is the effect of stripes on their backs, such as: orientation with the grasses, width of the grasses correlated to the width of the lizard stripe, color of stripe to color of grasses, and striped vs. non-striped affect in predation.
Chris Valdez – Assess habitat and herpetological diversity on the Katy Prairie to determine potential areas for release of zoo captive-raised Texas Horned Lizards (P. cornutum). The study will map and analyze harvester ant colony densities which are essential to determine the viability of future horned lizard releases. Some ant colony locations will be checked for consistency with those found from 21 surveys in 2016. Man-made shelters will be created near areas with known harvester ant abundance. All reptiles and amphibians will be identified and GPS data recorded in these shelters.
2017
Grant was supported by a donation from Alexander Cochran.
Cecilia Morales – Summarize the distribution, ecology, and importance of Phrynosoma in the Ajos-Bavispe Reserve in Sonora, Mexico. A database and distribution maps of the six species (P. cornutum, P. ditmarsi, P. hernandesi, P. modestum, P. orbiculare, and P. solare) will be created using the records in the Madrean Archipelago Biodiversity Assessment and Madrean Discovery Expeditions databases. And their respective habitats where they are found and the general aspects of their ecology will be described. This will provide a baseline for future work.
2016
Jennie Mook - Harmonic radar has emerged as a low-tech, alternative method to monitor small organisms due to the reflectors not requiring a battery for operation. Horned lizard hatchlings can now be monitored using this new technology to gain a better understanding of this life state. Study site will be at the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma where the adults have been monitored for many years.
2015
Courtney Heuring – Investigate the introduced Texas Horned Lizard population in South Carolina and attempt to determine divergence from the western population in Texas based on genetics, morphology, and diet.
Jared Fuller – Assess the genetic variation and structuring within and among populations of the Round-tailed Horned Lizard through a combination of phylogeographic and genomic analyses. Evolutionary significant units (ESU’s) will be identified which will aid in conservation efforts.
2014
None
2013
Both are grants with the funds supplied by Joyce Roach in Honor of Tony Burgess. Tony was a professor at TCU.
Megan Lahti and Cecilia Vigil – The objectives included two elements: 1.) a presentation and discussion of horned lizards, focusing on Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (FTHL) conservation, as well as natural history of deserts and scat and track identification, and 2.) a half-day expedition to local horned lizard habitat. Here, participants will be able to observe the FTHL and their habitat in-person.
Danny Martin – The objective is to evaluate the relative influence of past climate and habitat changes on the persistence of horned lizards, by revisiting sites of known historic occurrence in the Great Plains. This region serves as an ideal pilot study for this project because there are three species of horned lizard (P. cornutum, P. modestum, and P. hernandesi) inhabiting a range of climates (i.e., temperature gradient from south to north, precipitation gradient from east to west) and across a landscape with varying degrees of habitat loss and fragmentation.
2012
Jared Fuller – investigate the impact of wildfire on population genetics on the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) in a wildlife management area using findings from a major wildfire in 2008 pre- and post- wildfire. The work is located in west Texas.
Megan Lahti – work builds on previous work on the dwarfed population of Greater Short-horned Lizards (Phrynosoma hernandesi) and may find that this population in genetically different enough from other populations to constitute sub-specific status and to warrant efforts to ensure persistence of this unique population in to the future. This work is located in south Colorado.
Reilly Dibner – investigate the importance of several environmental factors for distributions and abundance of Greater Short-horned Lizards (Phrynosoma hernandesi) and how they are impacted by variation in availability of food, habitat, and other environmental factors thought to be important. This work is located in Wyoming.
2011
Wes Anderson – study the decline of the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) populations based on two common persistent classes of contaminants: metals and organochlorine pesticides. This work was located in central Texas.
Stephanie Leland – create a film that will entertain yet educate people about the speculations for the decline of the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum).
Megan Lahti – study the genetics of the Greater Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) to better assess their evolutionary histories and to better understand the genetic variation among the populations and their current taxonomic status. This work was located mostly in south Colorado.
2010
One of these grants was from donations on behalf of the memory Anthony J. Weisman who was a horned lizard enthusiast. Donations were made by his friends and family. His wife, Sylvia requested the funding was to be awarded to a horned lizard researcher through the grant program.
Danny Martin – better estimate geographic distribution of the Round-tailed Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma modestum) and collect habitat data and biological samples for future genetics work. This work was located in southeastern Colorado and panhandle of Oklahoma.
Alfonso Hernandez Rios – study the habitat preferences and its relationship with temperature and soil consistency as well as their diet and some reproductive aspects of a population of the Mexican-Plateau Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma orbicular) to be used as a tool in the design and development of future conservation programs for this threatened species. This work was located in central Mexico.
2009
Victor Bogosian III – study translocation effects on the horned lizard due to habitat loss and to study if skeletochronology can be used to estimate the age of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum). This work was located in Oklahoma.
Ken Morgan – study the adaptations of the Blainville’s Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii) to dietary specialty which can make an animal more prone to extinction. This work was located in California.
Megan Lahti – study the unique genetic identities and determine the biogeographic histories of the dwarfed Greater Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi). This work was located in Colorado.
2008
Maria Guadalupe Barbosa Rodriquez – creating educational material and campaigns to educate people, targeted mostly at children, on the importance of conservation and appreciation of the Giant Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma asio) and the Bull Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma taurus). The work was located in Guerrero Mexico.
Emily Henry – examine the characteristics of different habitats used by Texas Horned Lizards at different temperatures, times of day, and seasons that will be used for horned lizard range management. The work was located in the rolling plains of west Texas.
Patricia Gonzalez Alvarado/Galia Reyes Betancourt – study the types of food eaten by the Giant Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma asio) examining and describing the temporal variation of frequency of occurrence and volume. The work was located in Guerrero Mexico.
2007
Victor Bogosian III – determine the dietary habits and thermal landscape data for the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) to study the use of habitat modeling for conservation applications. This work was located in Oklahoma.
Scott Newbold – using ground penetrating radar as a novel, non-invasive technique for estimating the depth and substrate of hibernating Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) and the short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) beneath the ground surface. This work was located in Colorado.
2006
Richard Stark –
2005
Jim Richerson – Investigate the impacts of gastrointestinal parasites on horned lizards, Sul Ross University
2004
Scott Davis – Study the genetic variability of P. cornutum (became the Master’s thesis for Trina Guera), Texas A&M
2003
Kelly Zamudio – Study the genetic diversity of Phrynosoma douglasi (Published research Zamudio, K. R., K. B. Jones, and R. H. Ward. Molecular systematics of short-horned lizards: Biogeography and taxonomy of a widespread species complex. Systematic Biology 46:284-305) University of Washington at Seattle
2002
Melisa Montemayor – Determine the longevity of Texas horned lizards in southern Texas and effectiveness of PIT marking on small lizards, Texas A&M in Kingsville.
1991
Wendy Hodges – Conduct a statewide survey in Texas (Published research: Donaldson, W. L., A. H. Price, and J. Morse. 1994. The current status and future prospects of the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) in Texas. Texas Journal of Science 46 (2): 97-113.), University of Texas at Austin.
1990
Steve Sheffield – Conduct a statewide survey of Texas Horned Lizards in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University.
These two grants were funded by Wilson Stout
Mycha A. Van Allen - is a Ph.D. Student at Texas A&M University Department of Veterinary Integrative Bioscience. The work is to determine if Texas horned lizards are exposed to pesticides through the consumption of sublethally-exposed ants, which are a primary food source for the lizards. This research will specifically document two types of pesticide residues that are the most widely used insecticides for ant control. In addition, the research will evaluate the prevalence and levels of pesticide residues in ant populations within the lizard’s range and in lizard fecal pellets and will measure the various health parameters in captured lizards.
Kira Gangbin - is a Ph.D. Student at Texas Christian University. Radio telemetry will be used to evaluate nest-sites of natural and reintroduced populations of Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) to assess a female’s ability to select a nest site based on temperature, ant abundance, soil moisture, soil compaction, and vegetation structure. This information will be used to determine if there are suitable nesting sites and adequate resources available at reintroduction sites and how to best manage land for optimum horned lizard hatching success.
These two grants were partially funded by Russell Posch
Ana Paulina Gamboa Navarro - is a student at Universidad de la Sierra in Moctezuma, Sonora, Mexico. The project will study the dietary preferences of the Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solare) in the Sonoran Desert, Mexico. This research will investigate the variation in its diet, focusing on the relationship with ants and ontogeny, i.e., how dietary choices change throughout its development. Using comprehensive methods, including field surveys and fecal analysis, the results will enhance conservation management by providing specific insights into the importance of ants and seeds in the lizard's diet. This research project aims to significantly contribute to the understanding and conservation of Phrynosoma solare in its Mexican distribution.
Leah Carpenter - is a first year master’s Student of Ecology from San Diego State University. The project will pioneer a new methodology for using animal-borne biologgers with AI computation to quantify detailed aspects of the behavior and ecology of the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (FTHL), a threatened flagship species in the lower Colorado desert habitat. The accelerometry data will examine behavioral shifts associated with climate change and human activity.
Fabio Antonio Barcelo Ayala - an environmental Sciences Engineering Student from Sonora Institute of Technology in Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. The project will investigate the eco-physiology and resilience of Phrynosoma mcallii in northern Mexico in response to extreme temperature variations and prolonged droughts to discover how these horned lizards can adapt to a changing and extreme environment. The study will assess how P. mcallii (flat-tail horned lizard) manages water loss and temperature variations to gain deeper insights into their Eco physiological responses. The results obtained will provide crucial information for the conservation and effective management of this species in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss in the ecosystem of the El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de A ltar Biosphere Reserve. Furthermore, activities promoting citizen participation are proposed to engage the local community and the reserve.
2023
These two grants were funded by Wilson Stout
Kira Gangbin - is a Ph.D. student researcher at Texas Christian University. Her research involves evaluating the nest-sites of natural and reintroduced populations of Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) to assess a female’s ability to select a nest site based on temperature, ant abundance, soil moisture, soil compaction, and vegetation structure.
Luciano Guerra - is the Outreach Coordinator, Photographer, and Educator at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, TX. His project involves a plan to clear trails in an overgrown, neglected wildlife area so that habitat for horned lizards can be assessed, surveyed, and documented. This work will also access educational opportunities for visiting school children and special programs on horned lizard conservation and outreach.
Grant was funded by Russell Posch
Dr. Rafael A. Lara Resendiz - from the Technological Institute of Sonora, Mexico. This research will assess the vulnerability of Phrynosoma mcallii (Flat-tailed Horned Lizard) to climate warming throughout its distribution (Arizona, California, Baja California, and Sonora). The primary product will be a new climate change model that incorporates data related to the physiological tolerances, thermoregulatory behavior of P. mcallii and environmental thermal quality.
2022
Alex Fulton - Testing Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) Survey Methods for Efficiency and Effectiveness in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) is considered a Tier 1 Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC). To establish best practices for surveying Texas horned lizards, this project will compare commonly applied survey methodologies for population-level studies, including road cruising, foot searches, and drift fence arrays. To accomplish this, Alex will lead a team of researchers from the University of Oklahoma on Texas horned lizard surveys at three ODWC Wildlife Management Areas in western Oklahoma. This project will help establish optimized methodologies for population-level assessments of horned lizards, allowing for improved efficacy and efficiency of conservation efforts.
Craig Fischer - Integrating Fine-scale Landscape Genomics into Rangewide Monitoring and Management of Flat-tailed Horned Lizards. In California, the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) is considered a California Species of Special Concern. This project intends to prove the utility of genomic analysis as a complementary component of ongoing monitoring and management of the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard. Research will focus on fine-scale population trends for a meta-population outside El Centro, California on Naval Air Facility El Centro, and will compare these patterns to a separate population outside Yuma, AZ. Craig will use high-resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism data to estimate effective population size, dispersal, and connectivity. This study aims to identify patterns of Flat-tailed Horned Lizards at the population scale using high-throughput sequencing, compare these patterns across disjunct populations, and integrate these techniques into an actionable conservation plan.
Daniel Montoya - Mexican Plateau Horned Lizard Road Mortality and Ecological Traits of the State of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. While road development and expansion have always been linked to demographic growth in human population, road-associated mortality has been documented in many reptile species. This project intends to analyze the ecological impact that secondary roads in the municipality of Galeana, in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico, have on the Mexican Plateau Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma orbiculare). Additionally, a more comprehensive understanding of the diet of the Mexican Plateau Horned Lizard in the Sierra Madre Oriental portion of its distribution by collecting the gut content of lizards found Dead on Road. The data collected will further expand the knowledge of this endemic lizard to Mexico, allowing for the proposal of multidisciplinary methodologies to better understand and preserve this species.
2021
Grants were partially funded by the following big donors: Wilson Stout, Leslie Nossaman, Laurie Piepenbrink, and Anne Holt.
Danielle Miles - In Nevada, the Pygmy Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma douglasii) is considered a sensitive species, but their current distribution and threats are not known. Researchers will look for horned lizards at multiple monitoring locations to create a database of species occurrence records. This study will inform the current status of populations in Nevada and increase understanding of the long-term conservation needs of the species in the warmest part of its range.
Jesse Short - Rapid residential and agricultural development of sagebrush steppe habitat in Central Oregon has negatively affected local populations of the Pygmy Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma douglasii). This project will track lizards in undisturbed habitat with healthy populations, and use the data gathered to formulate a list of habitat specific parameters for use in evaluating existing/designing new habitat for P. douglassii in similar landscapes.
Nick Cairns - Overwinter mortality of the Greater Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) In southern Canada seems like a potential culprit and major risk to the persistence of northern populations in the future. This project is a non-invasive monitoring program to ascertain the conditions utilized by overwintering P. hernandesi at its northern range limits. The results can help explain local physiological adaptation, the importance of snow for this species, and the risk climate change may pose for its persistence.
Sam Eliades - This study's purpose is to improve the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) headstart program at the Oklahoma City Zoo and maximize horned lizard conservation and reintroduction efforts in the future. This project will study the gut microbial ecology of horned lizards pre- and post- release from the headstarting program, as well as assess behavioral tendencies in lizards at the Zoo and after reintroduction into the wild.
Saul Domingues Guerrero - The goal of this study is to test for differences in preferred body temperature between pregnant and non-pregnant females, elucidate if preferred body temperatures of pregnant females is inherited to their offspring, and test if preferred body temperatures during pregnancy impacts phenotype of newborns in the Mountain Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma orbiculare) in central Mexico. This study could help us better understand the susceptibility of horned lizards to climate change and suggest better practices for conservation strategies in the future.
Padraic Elliot - The goal of this study is to identify the causes of the poor reintroduction success of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) from zoos by comparing microhabitat use and availability between a privately-owned ranch with an established population of horned lizards and a nearby reintroduction site with recently reintroduced individuals in Mason County, Texas. By using morphological measurements, radio-tracking lizards, and habitat measurements, the project will look to see if different microhabitat use leads to evidence of higher stress in lizards. Project is through TCU.
Patrick Ryan - This study is part of a larger project to evaluate habitat variables to improve the reintroduction success of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) in Mason County, Texas. This portion of the study concentrates on habitat thermal characteristics, as thermal quality differences could be a key variable in the past low reintroduction success for zoos. Project is through TCU.
Rachel Alenius - Reintroduction projects of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) have been met with limited success, and the underlying causes are still unclear. Animals bred in captivity tend to have altered gut microbiomes, which could influence reintroduction success of horned lizards. Research study is in Mason County, Texas. This project aims to understand how gut microbiomes of wild populations compare to captive and reintroduced populations, which could lead to practical applications for captive breeding and release programs at zoos. Project is through TCU.
2020
Rachel Alenius - Ultimate goal is to improve captive breeding and reintroduction strategies for Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) by determining effects of diet on hunting skills and gut microbiomes of captive-bred lizards. Diet can contribute to differences related to microbiomes and foraging behaviors between wild and captive animals. It is unknown if such dietary modifications using harvester ants compared to available insects such as termites, waxworms, and crickets may influence the suitability of captive Texas Horned Lizards for reintroduction.
Paul Bunker - Funds are for collection kits with instructions to send to people who can collect horned lizard scat samples. It is difficult to obtain enough samples to train the dogs. This will be an ongoing issue as there will always be dogs to train. The larger project is to train dogs to sniff out horned lizards to help when doing field count and health assessments. This will supply scat to assist in the lab to help train the dogs.
Nicholas Kowal - One of the project goals is to better understand the distribution and micro-habitat selection of P. hernandesi in Nebraska which is probably at high risk. Another aspect of the project will be to collect DNA for a possible speciation between what might be two different species in Nebraska. May allow the horned lizard a higher at-risk status if found to be absent/declining with reasons pointing to a possible solution. This species is at the edge of its range in Nebraska. It could be an important project to help study the issues and to protect this edge. Will gather issues related to its food, predation, and habitat changes. Since the species is at its total eastern range edge this can be a vulnerable area for decline. Research here can be used in neighboring states. And maybe the process of understanding a species at the edge of its range can be used by other researchers for other species. No potential for other sources of funding.
2019
Ian Clifton - Greater Short-horned Lizards (P. hernandesi) of the Abajo Mountains in southeast Utah are live-bearing lizards that occur between ~2000m and ~2500m. Because they are live-bearing lizards they are some of the most vulnerable lizards based on the current climate change projections. By understanding how these animals interact with their thermal environment we can gain insight into how increasing temperature may affect this threatened population. The aim of the study is to characterize the thermal ecology and thermal environment of the Greater Short-horned Lizards in the Abajo Mountains to model the effects of climate change on a vulnerable lizard population.
Cecilia Aguilar-Morales – The distribution, behavior, and ecology of the Rock Horned Lizard (P. ditmarsi) are poorly known in Mexico and it should be nominated for protection under the NOM-059 Mexican endangered species law. This project will update the distribution and understand the population numbers of P. ditmarsi in the Sierra Baviacora area and probably 50 km north to Arizpe in Mexico and describe the habitat and vegetation.
Jessica Heckman – In order to best perform land management for Texas Horned Lizards (P. cornutum) survival, it is important to understand their habitat needs and manage to meet those needs. The study site for the project will be the Crossbar Management Area north of Amarillo, Texas. The microhabitat selection by Texas Horned Lizards will be investigated at two scales, one with powder tracking at a fine scale and radio telemetry on a coarser scale.
Kyla Garten – The technique called mark-recapture is used in wildlife research to understand the condition of the species. For reptiles, many invasive methods have been used. A new method called photo identification is a tool for research for the mark-recapture technique. It has been used successfully for mammal species and more recently with amphibians. This study will investigate this approach for the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (P. mcallii) in southeastern California and/or southwestern Arizona.
Paul Bunker – The study will train a dog in techniques in horned lizard detection as a pilot project to assess the capabilities. The study will take place in central Texas and will work with the San Antonio Zoo and Texas Horned Lizards (P. cornutum). This will aid in finding horned lizards in the field for researchers to better understand their health and numbers and aid in replacing more invasive techniques.
Teal Taylor – Just outside Butte, Montana there is a Superfund site to remediate the soils and vegetation after significant mining in the area. The study will focus on surveying this area for a Greater Short-Horned Lizard (P. hernandesi) population and the potential effects of this remediation on the lizards.
2018
Grants were partially supported by a donation from Alexander Cochran.
Sarah Wenner - Urban sprawl can lead to fragmentation of native species. This project will study the delineation and maintenance of conservation units of P. blainvillii in urban Southern California. This is the first fine-scale population genomic study of this species which is also a Species of Special Concern in California. Results will help determine how to guide management efforts to preserve or restore genetic diversity and connectivity for this species. The study will identify current and historical routes of gene flow along with adaptive differentiation.
Hannah Richards – As harvester ants decline in an area could there be other prey that could take their place. To understand this issue, horned lizard diet efficiency needs to be studied. The study will make predictions on evolution of nutrition adaptability with the decline of the harvester ant and increased nutrition coming from other prey. This study would also provide information to help find new places to relocate.
Dusty Rhoads - As zoos are releasing young horned lizards into reintroduction areas, there is a large amount that are lost due to predation. It is important to understand how important geographic color pattern adaptation is on the role of crypsis and survival. This study will help determine what is the effect of stripes on their backs, such as: orientation with the grasses, width of the grasses correlated to the width of the lizard stripe, color of stripe to color of grasses, and striped vs. non-striped affect in predation.
Chris Valdez – Assess habitat and herpetological diversity on the Katy Prairie to determine potential areas for release of zoo captive-raised Texas Horned Lizards (P. cornutum). The study will map and analyze harvester ant colony densities which are essential to determine the viability of future horned lizard releases. Some ant colony locations will be checked for consistency with those found from 21 surveys in 2016. Man-made shelters will be created near areas with known harvester ant abundance. All reptiles and amphibians will be identified and GPS data recorded in these shelters.
2017
Grant was supported by a donation from Alexander Cochran.
Cecilia Morales – Summarize the distribution, ecology, and importance of Phrynosoma in the Ajos-Bavispe Reserve in Sonora, Mexico. A database and distribution maps of the six species (P. cornutum, P. ditmarsi, P. hernandesi, P. modestum, P. orbiculare, and P. solare) will be created using the records in the Madrean Archipelago Biodiversity Assessment and Madrean Discovery Expeditions databases. And their respective habitats where they are found and the general aspects of their ecology will be described. This will provide a baseline for future work.
2016
Jennie Mook - Harmonic radar has emerged as a low-tech, alternative method to monitor small organisms due to the reflectors not requiring a battery for operation. Horned lizard hatchlings can now be monitored using this new technology to gain a better understanding of this life state. Study site will be at the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma where the adults have been monitored for many years.
2015
Courtney Heuring – Investigate the introduced Texas Horned Lizard population in South Carolina and attempt to determine divergence from the western population in Texas based on genetics, morphology, and diet.
Jared Fuller – Assess the genetic variation and structuring within and among populations of the Round-tailed Horned Lizard through a combination of phylogeographic and genomic analyses. Evolutionary significant units (ESU’s) will be identified which will aid in conservation efforts.
2014
None
2013
Both are grants with the funds supplied by Joyce Roach in Honor of Tony Burgess. Tony was a professor at TCU.
Megan Lahti and Cecilia Vigil – The objectives included two elements: 1.) a presentation and discussion of horned lizards, focusing on Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (FTHL) conservation, as well as natural history of deserts and scat and track identification, and 2.) a half-day expedition to local horned lizard habitat. Here, participants will be able to observe the FTHL and their habitat in-person.
Danny Martin – The objective is to evaluate the relative influence of past climate and habitat changes on the persistence of horned lizards, by revisiting sites of known historic occurrence in the Great Plains. This region serves as an ideal pilot study for this project because there are three species of horned lizard (P. cornutum, P. modestum, and P. hernandesi) inhabiting a range of climates (i.e., temperature gradient from south to north, precipitation gradient from east to west) and across a landscape with varying degrees of habitat loss and fragmentation.
2012
Jared Fuller – investigate the impact of wildfire on population genetics on the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) in a wildlife management area using findings from a major wildfire in 2008 pre- and post- wildfire. The work is located in west Texas.
Megan Lahti – work builds on previous work on the dwarfed population of Greater Short-horned Lizards (Phrynosoma hernandesi) and may find that this population in genetically different enough from other populations to constitute sub-specific status and to warrant efforts to ensure persistence of this unique population in to the future. This work is located in south Colorado.
Reilly Dibner – investigate the importance of several environmental factors for distributions and abundance of Greater Short-horned Lizards (Phrynosoma hernandesi) and how they are impacted by variation in availability of food, habitat, and other environmental factors thought to be important. This work is located in Wyoming.
2011
Wes Anderson – study the decline of the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) populations based on two common persistent classes of contaminants: metals and organochlorine pesticides. This work was located in central Texas.
Stephanie Leland – create a film that will entertain yet educate people about the speculations for the decline of the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum).
Megan Lahti – study the genetics of the Greater Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) to better assess their evolutionary histories and to better understand the genetic variation among the populations and their current taxonomic status. This work was located mostly in south Colorado.
2010
One of these grants was from donations on behalf of the memory Anthony J. Weisman who was a horned lizard enthusiast. Donations were made by his friends and family. His wife, Sylvia requested the funding was to be awarded to a horned lizard researcher through the grant program.
Danny Martin – better estimate geographic distribution of the Round-tailed Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma modestum) and collect habitat data and biological samples for future genetics work. This work was located in southeastern Colorado and panhandle of Oklahoma.
Alfonso Hernandez Rios – study the habitat preferences and its relationship with temperature and soil consistency as well as their diet and some reproductive aspects of a population of the Mexican-Plateau Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma orbicular) to be used as a tool in the design and development of future conservation programs for this threatened species. This work was located in central Mexico.
2009
Victor Bogosian III – study translocation effects on the horned lizard due to habitat loss and to study if skeletochronology can be used to estimate the age of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum). This work was located in Oklahoma.
Ken Morgan – study the adaptations of the Blainville’s Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii) to dietary specialty which can make an animal more prone to extinction. This work was located in California.
Megan Lahti – study the unique genetic identities and determine the biogeographic histories of the dwarfed Greater Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi). This work was located in Colorado.
2008
Maria Guadalupe Barbosa Rodriquez – creating educational material and campaigns to educate people, targeted mostly at children, on the importance of conservation and appreciation of the Giant Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma asio) and the Bull Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma taurus). The work was located in Guerrero Mexico.
Emily Henry – examine the characteristics of different habitats used by Texas Horned Lizards at different temperatures, times of day, and seasons that will be used for horned lizard range management. The work was located in the rolling plains of west Texas.
Patricia Gonzalez Alvarado/Galia Reyes Betancourt – study the types of food eaten by the Giant Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma asio) examining and describing the temporal variation of frequency of occurrence and volume. The work was located in Guerrero Mexico.
2007
Victor Bogosian III – determine the dietary habits and thermal landscape data for the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) to study the use of habitat modeling for conservation applications. This work was located in Oklahoma.
Scott Newbold – using ground penetrating radar as a novel, non-invasive technique for estimating the depth and substrate of hibernating Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) and the short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) beneath the ground surface. This work was located in Colorado.
2006
Richard Stark –
2005
Jim Richerson – Investigate the impacts of gastrointestinal parasites on horned lizards, Sul Ross University
2004
Scott Davis – Study the genetic variability of P. cornutum (became the Master’s thesis for Trina Guera), Texas A&M
2003
Kelly Zamudio – Study the genetic diversity of Phrynosoma douglasi (Published research Zamudio, K. R., K. B. Jones, and R. H. Ward. Molecular systematics of short-horned lizards: Biogeography and taxonomy of a widespread species complex. Systematic Biology 46:284-305) University of Washington at Seattle
2002
Melisa Montemayor – Determine the longevity of Texas horned lizards in southern Texas and effectiveness of PIT marking on small lizards, Texas A&M in Kingsville.
1991
Wendy Hodges – Conduct a statewide survey in Texas (Published research: Donaldson, W. L., A. H. Price, and J. Morse. 1994. The current status and future prospects of the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) in Texas. Texas Journal of Science 46 (2): 97-113.), University of Texas at Austin.
1990
Steve Sheffield – Conduct a statewide survey of Texas Horned Lizards in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University.
