Dr. Ariel Rodriguez
Research interests: My research centers in the study of the processes generating biological diversity and specifically on the diversification of populations, which ultimately lead to speciation. I am interested in how the interplay between geography, natural history, and behavior shape the genetic and phenotypic diversity of life forms. So far, most of my research has focused on amphibian and reptiles, which are excellent models for evolutionary biology.
I apply diverse techniques and statistical analyses at the population, individual and genomic levels to study evolutionary processes in the field and in the lab. Currently, I am especially interested in the bioinformatics analysis of high-throughput sequencing data for the assembly, annotation and comparative analysis of transcriptomes and genomes.
Grants Awarded
Grants Awarded
(2008) Global Taxonomic Initiative (GTI) Grant for Capacity Building in Taxonomy and Collection Management
(2011) Wilhelm-Peters-Fonds of the Deutsche Gesselschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde e.V. (DGHT).
(2012) Georg-Forster Research Grant of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
(2015) Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund: Chytrid fungus threat on Cuban amphibians.
(2021) Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Research Grant: Der aposematische Phäenotyp: eine Geno-per Phäenotyp Perspektive anhand von Giftfröschen.
Publications
2021
Kirchhof, S., Lyra, M.L., Rodríguez, A., Ineich, I., Müller, J., Rödel, M.-O., Trape, J.-F., Vences, M., Boissinot, S. (2021): Mitogenome analyses elucidate the evolutionary relationships of a probable Eocene wet tropics relic in the xerophile lizard genus Acanthodactylus. Scientific Reports 11: e4858.
Cossio, R., Wright, J., Acosta, R., Rodríguez, A. (2021): Space use and parental care behaviour in Andinobates claudiae (Dendrobatidae). Behaviour 1: 1-24.
Preißler, K., Rodríguez, A., Pröhl, H. (2021): Evidence for coloration plasticity in the yellow‐bellied toad, Bombina variegata. Ecology and evolution 11: 17557-17567.
2020
Rodríguez, A., Mundy, N.I., Ibáñez, R., Pröhl, H. (2020): Being red, blue and green: the genetic basis of coloration differences in the strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio). BMC Genomics 21: 301.
Jorgewich-Cohen, G., Montesinos, R., Henrique, R., Toledo, F., Borzée, A., Yi, Y., Fei, W., Igawa, T., Guayasamin, J., Laufer, G., Bolivar W., Rodríguez, A., Grant, T. (2020): Paths of introduction: Assessing global colonization history of the most successful amphibian invader. Authorea Preprints.
Oswald, P., Rodríguez, A., Bourke, J., Wagner, N., de Buhr, N., Buschmann, H., von Köckritz-Blickwede, M., Pröhl, H. (2020): Locality, time and heterozygosity affect chytrid infection in yellow-bellied toads. Diseases of aquatic organisms 142: 225-237.
2019
Dugo-Cota, A., Vilá, C., Rodríguez, A., Gonzalez-Voyer, A. (2019): Ecomorphological convergence in Eleutherodactylus frogs: a case of replicate radiations in the Caribbean. Ecology Letters 22: 884–893.
Garcia-Porta, J., Irisarri, I., Kirchner, M., Rodríguez, A., Kirchhof, S., Brown, J.L., MacLeod, A., Turner, A.P., Ahmadzadeh, F., Albaladejo, G., Crnobrnja-Isailovic, J., Riva, I.D.l., Fawzi, A., Galán, P., Göçmen, B., Harris, D.J., Jiménez-Robles, O., Joger, U., Glavaš, O.J., Karış, M., Koziel, G., Künzel, S., Lyra, M., Miles, D., Nogales, M., Oğuz, M.A., Pafilis, P., Rancilhac, L., Rodríguez, N., Concepción, B.R., Sanchez, E., Salvi, D., Slimani, T., S’khifa, A., Qashqaei, A.T., Žagar, A., Lemmon, A., Lemmon, E.M., Carretero, M.A., Carranza, S., Philippe, H., Sinervo, B., Müller, J., Vences, M., Valero, K.C.W. (2019): Environmental temperatures shape thermal physiology as well as diversification and genome-wide substitution rates in lizards. Nature Communications 10: 4077.
Kueneman, J.G., Bletz, M.C., Becker, G., Joseph, M., Abarca, J.G., Archer, H., Areleno, L., Bataille, A., Becker, M., Belden, L.K., Crottini, A., Geffers, R., Haddad, C.F.B., Harris, R.N., Holden, W., Hughey, M., Ibañez, R., Jarek, M., Kerby, J.L., Kielgast, J., Kurabayashi, A., Longo, A.V., Loudon, A., Medina, D., Nuñez, J.J., Perl, R.G.B., Pinto-Tomás, A., Rabemananjara, F.C.E., Rebollar, E.A., Rodríguez, A., Rollins-Smith, L., Stevenson, R., Tebbe, C.C., Asensio, G.V., Walke, J.B., Whitfield, S.M., Zamudio, K.R., Chaves, I.Z., McKenzie, V., Woodhams, D.C., Vences, M. (2019): Community richness of amphibian skin bacteria correlates with bioclimate at the global scale. Nature Ecology & Evolution 3: 381–389.
Pröhl, H., Scherm, M.G., Meneses, S., Dreher, C.E., Meuche, I., Rodríguez, A. (2019): Female-female aggression is linked to food defence in a poison frog. Ethology 125: 222-231.
Sanchez, E., Rodríguez, A., Grau, J.H., Lötters, S., Künzel, S., Saporito, R.A., Ringler, E., Schulz, S., Valero, K.C.W., Vences, M. (2019): Transcriptomic signatures of experimental alkaloid consumption in a poison frog. Genes 10: e733.
2018
Dittrich, C., Rodríguez, A., Segev, O., Drakulić, S., Feldhaar, H., Vences, M., Rödel, M.-O. (2018): Temporal migration pattern and mating tactics influence size-assortative mating in Rana temporaria. Behavioral Ecology 29: 418–428.
Sillero, N., Campos, J., Bonardi, A., Corti, C., Creemers, R., Crochet, P.-A., Crnobrnja-Isailović, J., Denoël, M., Ficetola, G.F., Gonçalves, J., Kuzmin, S., Lymberakis, P., Pous, P.d., Rodríguez, A., Sindaco, R., Speybroeck, J., Toxopeus, B., Vieites, D.R., Vences, M. (2018): NA2RE is reliable but aims for improvement: an answer to Vamberger and Fritz (2018). Biologia 73: 1131–1135.
2017
Alonso Bosch, R., Rodríguez, A., Hernández Quinta, M. (2017): Advertisement call variation and individual acoustic distinctiveness in the explosive breeding toad Peltophryne cataulaciceps (Anura: Bufonidae). Acta Ethol 20: 197–205.
Dreher, C.E., Rodríguez, A., Cummings, M.E., Pröhl, H. (2017): Mating status correlates with dorsal brightness in some but not all poison frog populations. Ecology and Evolution 7: 10503–10512
Goedbloed, D.J., Czypionka, T., Altmüller, J., Rodríguez, A., Küpfer, E., Segev, O., Blaustein, L., Templeton, A.R., Nolte, A.W., Steinfartz, S. (2017): Parallel habitat acclimatization is realized by the expression of different genes in two closely related salamander species (genus Salamandra). Heredity 119: 429–437.
Köhler, J., Jansen, M., Rodríguez, A., Kok, P., Toledo, L.F., Emmrich, M., Glaw, F., Haddad, C.F.B., Rödel, M.-O., Vences, M. (2017): The use of bioacoustics in anuran taxonomy: theory, terminology, methods and recommendations for best practice. Zootaxa 4251: 1-124.
Miralles, A., MacLeod, A., Rodríguez, A., Ibáñez, A., Jiménez-Uzcategui, G., Quezada, G., Vences, M., Steinfartz, S. (2017): Shedding light on the Imps of Darkness: an integrative taxonomic revision of the Galápagos marine iguanas (genus Amblyrhynchus). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 181: 678–710.
Rodríguez, A., Burgon, J., Lyra, M., Irisarri, I., Baurain, D., Blaustein, L., Göcmen, B., Künzel, S., Nolte, A., Veith, M., Steinfartz, S., Elmer, K., Philippe, H., Vences, M. (2017): Inferring the shallow phylogeny of true salamanders (Salamandra) by multiple phylogenomic approaches. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 115: 16-26.
Rodríguez, A., Dugo-Cota, Á., Montero-Mendieta, S., Gonzalez-Voyer, A., Alonso, R., Vences, M., Vilà, C. (2017): Cryptic within cryptic: genetics, morphometrics, and bioacoustics delimitate a new species of Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae). Zootaxa 4221: 501–522.
Rodríguez, A., Rusciano, T., Hamilton, R., Holmes, L., Jordan, D., Valero, K.C.W. (2017): Genomic and phenotypic signatures of climate adaptation in an Anolis lizard. Ecology and Evolution 7: 6390–6403
Sabino-Pinto, J., Bletz, M.C., Iturriaga, M., Vences, M., Rodríguez, A. (2017): Low infection prevalence of the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Chytridiomycetes: Rhizophydiales) in Cuba. Amphibia-Reptilia 38: 243-249.
Wollenberg Valero, K.C., Garcia-Porta, J., Rodríguez, A., Arias, M., Shah, A., Randrianiaina, R.D., Brown, J.L., Glaw, F., Amat, F., Künzel, S., Metzler, D., Isokpehi, R.D., Vences4, M. (2017): Transcriptomic and macroevolutionary evidence for phenotypic uncoupling between frog life history phases. Nature Communications 15213: e1-9.
2016
Hagen, L.t., Rodríguez, A., Menke, N., Göcking, C., Bisping, M., Frommolt, K.-H., Ziegler, T., Bonkowski, M., Vences, M. (2016): Vocalizations in juvenile anurans: common spadefoot toads (Pelobates fuscus) regularly emit calls before sexual maturity. The Science of Nature 103: e75.
2015
Heinermann, J., Rodríguez, A., Segev, O., Edmonds, D., Dolch, R., Vences, M. (2015): Year-round activity patterns in a hyperdiverse community of rainforest amphibians in Madagascar. Journal of Natural History 49: 2213-2231.
MacLeod, A., Rodríguez, A., Vences, M., Orozco-terWengel, P., García, C., Trillmich, F., Gentille, G., Caccone, A., Quezada, G., Steinfartz, S. (2015): Hybridization masks speciation in the evolutionary history of the Galápagos Marine Iguana. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 282: 20150425 (DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.0425).
Rodríguez, A., Börner, M., Pabijan, M., Gehara, M., Haddad, C.F.B. (2015): Genetic divergence in tropical anurans: deeper phylogeographic structure in forest specialists and in topographically complex regions. Evolutionary Ecology 29: 765-785.
Segev, O., Rodríguez, A., Hauswaldt, S., Hugemann, K., Vences, M. (2015): Flatworms (Schmidtea nova) prey upon embryos of the common frog (Rana temporaria) and induce minor developmental acceleration. Amphibia-Reptilia 36: 155-163.
Simoes, B., Sampaio, F., Jared, C., Antoniazzi, M., Loew, E., Bowmaker, J., Rodríguez, A., Hart, N., Hunt, D., Partridge, J., Gower, D.J. (2015): Visual system evolution and the nature of the ancestral snake. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 28: 1309–1320.
2014
Gehara, M., Crawford, A.J., Orrico, V.G.D., Rodríguez, A., Lötters, S., Fouquet, A., Baldo, D., Barrientos, L.S., Brusquetti, F., Castroviejo-Fisher, S., Riva, I.D.l., Ernst, R., Faivovich, J., Gagliardi-Urrutia, G., Glaw, F., Guayasamin, J., Hölting, M., Jansen, M., Kok, P., Kwet, A., Lingnau, R., Lyra, M., Moravec, J., Padial, J.M., Jr., J.P., Rojas-Runjaic, F.J.M., Schulze, A., Señaris, J.C., Solé, M., Trefaut-Rodriguez, M., Twomey, E., Haddad, C.F.B., Vences, M., Köhler, J. (2014): High levels of diversity uncovered in a widespread nominal taxon: continental phylogeography of the neotropical tree frog Dendropsophus minutus. PLoS ONE 9: e103958.
Sillero, N., Campos, J., Bonardi, A., Corti, C., Creemers, R., Crochet, P.-A., Isailovic, J.C., Denoël, M., Ficetola, G.F., Gonçalves, J., Kuzmin, S., Lymberakis, P., Pous, P.d., Rodríguez, A., Sindaco, R., Speybroeck, J., Toxopeus, B., Vieites, D.R., Vences, M. (2014): Updated distribution and biogeography of amphibians and reptiles of Europe. Amphibia-Reptilia 35: 1-31.
Vences, M., Sanchez, E., Hauswaldt, J.S., Eikelmann, D., Rodríguez, A., Carranza, S., Donaire, D., Gehara, M., Helfer, V., Lötters, S., Werner, P., Schulz, S., Steinfartz, S. (2014): Nuclear and mitochondrial multilocus phylogeny and survey of alkaloid content in true salamanders of the genus Salamandra (Salamandridae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 73: 208–216.
2013
Rodríguez, A., Poth, D., Schulz, S., Gehara, M., Vences, M. (2013): Genetic diversity, phylogeny and evolution of alkaloid sequestering in Cuban miniaturized frogs of the Eleutherodactylus limbatus group. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 68: 541–554.
2012
Rodríguez, A. (2012): Anfibios. In: Libro Rojo de los Vertebrados de Cuba, p. 55-59. González-Alonso, H., Rodríguez-Schettino, L., Rodríguez, A., Mancina, C.A., Ramos-García, I., Eds., Havana, Editorial Academia.
Rodríguez, A., Alonso, R. (2012): New localities for Eleutherodactylus glamyrus (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae) in Eastern Cuba. Herpetology Notes 5: 293-295.
Rodríguez, A., Alonso, R., Rodríguez, J.A., Vences, M. (2012): Geographic distribution, color variation and molecular diversity of miniature frogs of the Eleutherodactylus limbatus group from Cuba Salamandra 48: 71-91.
2011
Rodríguez, A. (2011): Results of the Cuban amphibians Red List assessment. Froglog 96: 19-20.
Rodríguez, A., Poth, D., Schulz, S., Vences, M. (2011): Discovery of skin alkaloids in a miniaturized eleutherodactylid frog from Cuba. Biology Letters 7: 414-418.
Rodríguez, A., Vences, M., García, L.Y. (2011): Expansion of the known distribution and molecular systematics of Eleutherodactylus adelus (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae). Salamandra 47: 222-226.
Vences, M., Schulz, S., Poth, D., Rodríguez, A. (2011): Defining frontiers in mite and frog alkaloid research. Biology Letters 7: 557.
2010
Hernández, M., Alonso, R., Rodríguez, A. (2010): Advertisement call of Peltophryne florentinoi (Anura: Bufonidae), an endemic toad from Zapata Swamp, Cuba. Amphibia-Reptilia 31: 265-272.
Rodríguez, A., De la Nuez, D., Alonso, R. (2010): Intraspecific variation in the advertisement call of the cloud-forest frog Eleutherodactylus glamyrus (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae). Journal of Herpetology 44: 457-466.
Rodríguez, A., Vences, M., Nevado, B., Machordom, A., Verheyen, E. (2010): Biogeographic origin and radiation of Cuban Eleutherodactylus of the auriculatus species group, inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54: 179–186.
<2010 (selected)
Alonso, R., Rodríguez, A. (2004): Anolis lucius (Coronel, Gorrita). Vocalization. Herpetol Rev 35: 385–386.
Fa, J.E., Soy, J.P., Capote, R., Martínez, M., Fernández, I., Ávila, A., Rodríguez, D., Rodríguez, A., Cejas, F., Brull, G. (2002): Biodiversity of Sierra del Cristal, Cuba: first insights. Oryx 36: 389-395.
Alonso, R., Rodríguez, A. (2001): Llamadas del repertorio vocal de Eleutherodactylus eileenae (Anura:Leptodactylidae) del occidente de Cuba. Cuadernos de Herpetología 14: 123-130.
Estrada, A.R., Díaz, L.M., Rodríguez, A. (1997): Nueva especie de Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) del litoral norte de La Habana, Cuba. Rev Esp Herpetol 11: 19-24.
