John Measey

Contact Details
measey@sanbi.org
Leslie Hill Molecular Systematics Laboratory
Kirstenbosch Research Centre
South African National Biodiversity Institute
P/Bag X7
Claremont 7735
South Africa
Tel +27 21 799 8860

Population dynamics through mobility, gene flow and ecology

My current research interests are a synergy of biodiversity, phylogenetics and conservation. Africa’s herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles) have many diverse body forms, which correspond with different abilities of individuals to disperse resulting in differences in gene flow between populations. Long-term ramifications of this mean that highly philopatric species (such as caecilians and chameleons) can easily become isolated, speciating, and increasing local levels of biodiversity with important consequences for their conservation. Barriers to gene flow will not be equal to all taxa, and may arise as a result of ancient vicariance or anthropogenic habitat fragmentation. On the other hand, cosmopolitan species are often able to disperse across many potential barriers resulting in large panmictic populations with low biodiversity. My interests relate to how changes in body forms of herpetofauna result in different gene flow between populations across such ancient and modern barriers. Molecular sequencing and microsatellite techniques together with data on morphology and performance can then be used to address a whole range of conservation issues.

Selected Publications

Measey, G. J. 2001 Growth and ageing of feral Xenopus laevis (Daudin) in South Wales, UK. Journal of Zoology 254, 547-555.
Lobos, G. & Measey, G. J. 2002 Invasive populations of Xenopus laevis (Daudin) in Chile. Herpetological Journal 12, 163-168.
Measey, G. J. & Channing, A. 2003 Phylogeography of the genus Xenopus in southern Africa. Amphibia-Reptilia 24, 321-330.
Measey, G. J. 2004 Are caecilians rare? An East African perspective. Journal of East African Natural History 93, 97-117.
Malonza, P. & Measey, G. J. 2005 Life history of an African caecilian: Boulengerula taitanus (Caeciilidae: Amphibia: Gymnophiona). Tropical Zoology 18, 49-66.
Measey, G. J. & Barot, S. 2006 Seasonality in a subterranean vertebrate. Journal of Zoology, 269, 29-37.
Fouquet, A. & Measey, G. J. 2006 Plotting the course of an African clawed frog invasion in Western France. Animal Biology, 56, 95-102.
Measey G. J., Van Dongen S. 2006 Bergmann's rule and the terrestrial caecilian Schistometopum thomense (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) Evolutionary Ecology Research, 8, 1049-1059.
Measey G. J. & Herrel A. 2006 Rotational feeding in caecilians: putting a spin on the evolution of cranial design Biology Letters, 2, 485-487.
Measey, G. J. 2006 Surveying biodiversity of subterranean herpetofauna: moving from qualitative to quantitative methodologies. European Journal of Soil Biology 42, S103-S110.
Measey G. J., Vences M., Drewes R. C., Chiari Y., Melo M. & Bourles B. 2007 Freshwater paths into the ocean: molecular phylogeny of the frog Ptychadena newtoni gives insights into amphibian colonisation of oceanic islands Journal of Biogeography.34, 7-20.