College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Term of Award

Spring 2026

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Biology

Committee Chair

Aaron Schrey

Committee Member 1

Lance McBrayer

Committee Member 2

Michele Guidone

Abstract

Epigenetics is the study of changes in phenotype not caused by changes in DNA sequence. DNA methylation is the most well-studied epigenetic mechanism in an ecological context. Reptiles use DNA methylation to respond to environmental stressors and differences among habitats. The Florida Sand Skink (Plastidome reynoldsi) is federally listed as a threatened species. They are endemic to the threatened, fire-dependent Florida scrub habitat. As they persist in burned habitats, the Florida Sand Skink must be able to rapidly respond to wildfires. To better understand how the Florida Sand Skink adjusts to fire-driven habitat changes, it is important to consider the role of epigenetic mechanisms in mediating these responses because they allow individuals to rapidly adjust gene expression in response to fires. Here, I used whole-genome enzymatic methyl-sequencing to screen DNA methylation in Florida Sand Skinks from locations at the Archbold Biological Station with different time since last fire (TSF; long unburned (18-39 years), intermediately burned (7- 17 years), and recently burned (3- 6 years and different numbers of recorded fires (1, 2 and 3 fires). We detected a positive relationship between DNA methylation and time since last fire and number of fires. We also detected differentially methylated regions between TSF and number of fire comparisons. From the genomic locations of DMRs and gene ontology analysis, we found that the proportions of methylated gene functions differed between TSF and number of fire comparisons. This suggests a shift in gene regulatory responses to wildfire in the Florida Sand Skink.

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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