Cox, Christian

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Cox, Christian Graduate Faculty

Positions

Affiliated Member, Institute of Environment , College of Arts, Sciences & Education

ccox@fiu.edu

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overview

Ecology, Integrative Evolutionary Biology

selected scholarly works & creative activities

Article
- 2026
  
  Plasticity and regional heterothermy of upper thermal tolerance in the ring-necked snake. Journal of Thermal Biology. 135.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104354 Web of Science: 001650987700001
- 2025
  
  Beating the Heat: A Lowland Tropical Lizard Expresses Heat Shock Protein Networks in Response to Acute Thermal Stress. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 65:1109-1120.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaf057 Web of Science: 001516644400001
- 2025
  
  Higher parasite load is associated with lower heat tolerance in a tropical lizard. Journal of Experimental Biology. 228.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1242/jeb.250580 Web of Science: 001589100200026
- 2025
  
  The genetic basis of a colorful signal: the polymorphic dewlap of the slender anole (Anolis apletophallus). Heredity. 134:343-351.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1038/s41437-025-00763-z Web of Science: 001479059500001
- 2024
  
  Effects of Testosterone on Gene Expression Are Concordant between Sexes but Divergent across Species of Sceloporus Lizards. The American Naturalist. 204:517-532.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1086/732200 Web of Science: 001321273100001
- 2024
  
  Temperature dependence of regional heterothermy in a diminutive ectotherm. Journal of Experimental Biology. 227.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247759 Web of Science: 001360222200030
- 2024
  
  Feeding behavior varies based upon prey defenses in the ground snake (Squamata: Serpentes: Sonora episcopa). Journal of Zoology. 324:71-82.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/jzo.13198 Web of Science: 001272483800001
- 2024
  
  Plasticity of Gene Expression and Thermal Tolerance: Implications for Climate Change Vulnerability in a Tropical Forest Lizard. ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY PHYSIOLOGY. 97:81-96.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1086/729927 Web of Science: 001594980800003
- 2024
  
  3D printed models are an accurate, cost-effective, and reproducible tool for quantifying terrestrial thermal environments. Journal of Thermal Biology. 119.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103762 Web of Science: 001133956900001
- 2023
  
  A high-quality genome for the slender anole (Anolis apletophallus): an emerging model for field studies of tropical ecology and evolution. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. 14.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad248 Web of Science: 001105781400001
- 2023
  
  Species differences in hormonally mediated gene expression underlie the evolutionary loss of sexually dimorphic coloration in Sceloporus lizards. Journal of Heredity. 114:637-653.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esad046 Web of Science: 001050242300001
- 2023
  
  DNA Methylation and Counterdirectional Pigmentation Change following Immune Challenge in a Small Ectotherm. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 96:418-429.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1086/727692 Web of Science: 001150414400005
- 2023
  
  Island colonisation leads to rapid behavioural and morphological divergence in Anolis lizards. Evolutionary Ecology. 37:779-795.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s10682-023-10248-2 Web of Science: 001013400100001
- 2023
  
  Bite or flight? Behavioral interactions between bark anoles and brown anoles in their nonnative range. Journal of Zoology. 321:40-49.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/jzo.13094 Web of Science: 001008374500001
- 2023
  
  When Food Fights Back: Skull Morphology and Feeding Behavior of Centipede-Eating Snakes. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 63:34-47.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad047 Web of Science: 001002364600001
- 2023
  
  A diminutive snake species can maintain regional heterothermy in both and thermal environments. Journal of Experimental Biology. 226.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245380 Web of Science: 001018280800008
- 2023
  
  A diminutive snake species can maintain regional heterothermy in both homogeneous and heterogeneous thermal environments.. Journal of Experimental Biology. 226:jeb245380.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245380
- 2022
  
  Sustained Drought, but Not Short-Term Warming, Alters the Gut Microbiomes of Wild Anolis Lizards. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 88.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1128/aem.00530-22 Web of Science: 000861409300001
- 2022
  
  Climate anomalies and competition reduce establishment success during island colonization. Ecology and Evolution. 12.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9402 Web of Science: 000865096400001
- 2022
  
  Species-Specific Expression of Growth-Regulatory Genes in 2 Anoles with Divergent Patterns of Sexual Size Dimorphism. Integrative Organismal Biology. 4.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac025 Web of Science: 000837773700001
- 2022
  
  Evolution of hormone-phenotype couplings and hormone-genome interactions. Hormones and Behavior. 144.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105216 Web of Science: 000831015000006
- 2022
  
  Ontogenetic Change in Male Expression of Testosterone-Responsive Genes Contributes to the Emergence of Sex-Biased Gene Expression in Anolis sagrei. Frontiers in Physiology. 13.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.886973 Web of Science: 000816006200001
- 2022
  
  Ecology drives patterns of spectral transmission in the ocular lenses of frogs and salamanders. Functional Ecology. 36:850-864.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14018 Web of Science: 000762097200001
- 2022
  
  Predator-based selection and the impact of edge sympatry on components of coral snake mimicry. Evolutionary Ecology. 36:135-149.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s10682-021-10143-8 Web of Science: 000741590400001
- 2022
  
  HOW MANY SPECIES OF RATTLESNAKES ARE THERE IN THE CROTALUS DURISSUS SPECIES GROUP (SERPENTES: CROTALIDAE)?. Revista Latinoamericana De Herpetologia. 5:43-55.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.22201/fc.25942158e.2022.1.330
- 2021
  
  A chromosome-level genome assembly for the eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus), a reptile model for physiological and evolutionary ecology. GigaScience. 10.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giab066 Web of Science: 000708518100002
- 2021
  
  Elevation, oxygen, and the origins of viviparity. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution. 336:457-469.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23072 Web of Science: 000672177900001
- 2021
  
  Habitat structure mediates vulnerability to climate change through its effects on thermoregulatory behavior. Biotropica. 53:1121-1133.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/btp.12951 Web of Science: 000646076800001
- 2021
  
  Sex-Specific Population Differences in Resting Metabolism Are Associated with Intraspecific Variation in Sexual Size Dimorphism of Brown Anoles. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 94:205-214.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1086/714638 Web of Science: 000648687000001
- 2021
  
  Tactile stimuli induce deimatic antipredator displays in ringneck snakes. Ethology. 127:465-474.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/eth.13152 Web of Science: 000636694700001
- 2021
  
  Using Integrative Biology to Infer Adaptation from Comparisons of Two (or a Few) Species. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 94:162-170.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1086/714018 Web of Science: 000637084500001
- 2021
  
  Genetic mechanisms and correlational selection structure trait variation in a coral snake mimic. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. 288.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0003 Web of Science: 000629960300010
- 2021
  
  Sex-specific microhabitat use is associated with sex-biased thermal physiology in Anolis lizards. Journal of Experimental Biology. 224.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1242/jeb.235697 Web of Science: 000614491900012
- 2020
  
  Sex-biased parasitism and expression of a sexual signal. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 131:785-800.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa162 Web of Science: 000605693200005
- 2020
  
  Thermal ecology and physiology of an elongate and semi-fossorial arthropod, the bark centipede. Journal of Thermal Biology. 94.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102755 Web of Science: 000598118000005
- 2020
  
  Relative fitness of decoy coloration is mediated by habitat type. Zoology. 142.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2020.125820 Web of Science: 000579358100007
- 2020
  
  Spatial and temporal dynamics of exuberant colour polymorphism in the southern cricket frog. Journal of Natural History. 54:2249-2264.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2020.1842536 Web of Science: 000623638100001
- 2020
  
  Ectoparasite extinction in simplified lizard assemblages during experimental island invasion. Biology Letters. 16.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0474 Web of Science: 000560114300001
- 2020
  
  Social Behavior in Nototriton brodiei in the Cloud Forest of Cusuco National Park, Honduras. South American Journal of Herpetology. 17:29-32.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.2994/SAJH-D-18-00015.1 Web of Science: 000566775900003
- 2020
  
  Evolutionary history and sex are significant drivers of crayfish demography in resource-limited cave ecosystems. Evolutionary Ecology. 34:235-255.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s10682-019-10029-w Web of Science: 000503668200001
- 2020
  
  Acclimatization in the physiological performance of an introduced ectotherm. Journal of Experimental Biology. 223.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1242/jeb.201517 Web of Science: 000541830200001
- 2020
  
  Acclimatization in the physiological performance of an introduced ectotherm.. Journal of Experimental Biology.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1242/jeb.201517
- 2020
  
  Sex-specific microhabitat use is associated with sex-biased thermal physiology in Anolis lizards.. Journal of Experimental Biology.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1242/jeb.235697
- 2019
  
  Environmental heterogeneity and not vicariant biogeographic barriers generate community-wide population structure in desert-adapted snakes. Molecular Ecology. 28:4535-4548.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/mec.15182 Web of Science: 000480997100001
- 2019
  
  Evolutionary and ecological forces underlying ontogenetic loss of decoy coloration. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 128:138-148.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz084 Web of Science: 000482418500012
- 2019
  
  HERPETOFAUNAL ASSEMBLAGE AND NATURAL HISTORY OF A WETLAND AND PRAIRIE COMPLEX OF THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS. Southwestern Naturalist. 64:89-97.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1894/0038-4909-64-2-89 Web of Science: 000537287900003
- 2019
  
  Evidence of predation risk increases with body size in a diminutive snake. Journal of Zoology. 307:141-148.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12627 Web of Science: 000458431500007
- 2018
  
  Testing the geographical dimensions of genetic diversity following range expansion in a North American snake. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 125:586-599.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly137 Web of Science: 000450043000010
- 2018
  
  Do ring-necked snakes choose retreat sites based upon thermal preferences?. Journal of Thermal Biology. 71:232-236.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2017.11.020 Web of Science: 000423637400029
- 2017
  
  Hormonally Mediated Increases in Sex-Biased Gene Expression Accompany the Breakdown of Between-Sex Genetic Correlations in a Sexually Dimorphic Lizard. The American Naturalist. 189:315-332.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1086/690105 Web of Science: 000395447700011
- 2016
  
  Correlated evolution between targets of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection across squamate reptiles. Ecology and Evolution. 6:6452-6459.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2344 Web of Science: 000384527200003
- 2016
  
  Coral snakes predict the evolution of mimicry across New World snakes. Nature Communications. 7.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11484 Web of Science: 000375494600001
- 2016
  
  Sex-specific antipredator response to auditory cues in the black spiny-tailed iguana. Journal of Zoology. 299:68-74.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12326 Web of Science: 000378547600009
- 2016
  
  Unlinked Mendelian inheritance of red and black pigmentation in snakes: Implications for Batesian mimicry. Evolution. 70:944-953.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/evo.12902 Web of Science: 000374341100018
- 2016
  
  Both sexes suffer increased parasitism and reduced energy storage as costs of reproduction in the brown anole, Anolis sagrei. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 117:516-527.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/bij.12685 Web of Science: 000370159100010
- 2015
  
  Phylogeography and lineage-specific patterns of genetic diversity and molecular evolution in a group of North American skinks. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 116:819-833.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/bij.12626 Web of Science: 000363515200007
- 2015
  
  The Metabolic Cost of Mounting an Immune Response in Male Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei). Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology. 323:689-695.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1002/jez.1960 Web of Science: 000365970300001
- 2015
  
  Evolutionary shifts in habitat aridity predict evaporative water loss across squamate reptiles. Evolution. 69:2507-2516.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/evo.12742 Web of Science: 000362964700020
- 2015
  
  Female anoles retain responsiveness to testosterone despite the evolution of androgen-mediated sexual dimorphism. Functional Ecology. 29:758-767.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12383 Web of Science: 000357737500004
- 2014
  
  A New Salamander of the Genus Chiropterotriton (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from the Sierra Madre Oriental of Tamaulipas, Mexico. South American Journal of Herpetology. 9:228-234.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.2994/SAJH-D-14-00042.1 Web of Science: 000347084200007
- 2014
  
  Patterns of genetic diversity in the polymorphic ground snake (Sonora semiannulata). Genetica. 142:361-370.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s10709-014-9780-7 Web of Science: 000339879800008
- 2014
  
  Additional distributional records of a recently described Mexican toad species, Incilius mccoyi (Anura: Bufonidae). Herpetology Notes. 7:207-210.
- 2014
  
  Cryptic genetic diversity and complex phylogeography of the boreal North American scorpion, Paruroctonus boreus (Vaejovidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 71:298-307.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2013.11.005 Web of Science: 000330086000024
- 2013
  
  Spatial and Temporal Drivers of Phenotypic Diversity in Polymorphic Snakes. The American Naturalist. 182:E40-E57.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1086/670988 Web of Science: 000321703400002
- 2013
  
  Sequence variation in the Mc1r gene for a group of polymorphic snakes. Gene. 513:282-286.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2012.10.065 Web of Science: 000314328300009
- 2012
  
  The fitness consequences of the autotomous blue tail in lizards: an empirical test of predator response using clay models. Zoology. 115:339-344.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2012.04.001 Web of Science: 000312675700007
- 2012
  
  Rapid range expansion in the Great Plains narrow-mouthed toad (Gastrophryne olivacea) and a revised taxonomy for North American microhylids. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 64:645-653.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.05.020 Web of Science: 000306621400021
- 2012
  
  PATTERNS OF GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION AMONG POPULATIONS OF SMILISCA FODIENS. Herpetologica. 68:226-235.
  Web of Science: 000305259400008
- 2012
  
  Non-linear scaling of oxygen consumption and heart rate in a very large cockroach species (Gromphadorhina portentosa): correlated changes with body size and temperature. Journal of Experimental Biology. 215:1137-1143.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1242/jeb.061143 Web of Science: 000301299500019
- 2012
  
  Molecular systematics of the genus Sonora (Squamata: Colubridae) in central and western Mexico. Systematics and Biodiversity. 10:93-108.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2012.666293 Web of Science: 000305512500005
- 2012
  
  Report from the First Snake Genomics and Integrative Biology Meeting. Standards in Genomic Sciences. 7:150-152.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.4056/sigs.3106480 Web of Science: 000314405900013
- 2010
  
  Analyzing the relationship between sequence divergence and nodal support using Bayesian phylogenetic analyses. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57:485-494.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.05.009 Web of Science: 000284176800001
- 2009
  
  COVER OBJECT USAGE AMONG AN ASSEMBLAGE OF IOWA SNAKES. Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 4:80-84.
  Web of Science: 000207807000009
- 2008
  
  Matched regulation of gastrointestinal performance in the Burmese python, Python molurus. Journal of Experimental Biology. 211:1131-1140.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1242/jeb.015313 Web of Science: 000254463300021
- 2007
  
  Effects of meal size, clutch, and metabolism on the energy efficiencies of juvenile Burmese pythons, Python molurus. Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology. 148:861-868.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2007.08.029 Web of Science: 000251762000018
- 2007
  
  Cooking and grinding reduces the cost of meat digestion. Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology. 148:651-656.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2007.08.014 Web of Science: 000250656100021
- 2007
  
  Effects of meal size, meal type, and body temperature on the specific dynamic action of anurans. Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology. 177:165-182.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s00360-006-0119-2 Web of Science: 000243906300003
- 2002
  
  Autogamy and floral longevity in Mimulus guttatus. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 163:567-573.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1086/340444 Web of Science: 000176098700008
- Condition dependence of shared traits differs between sympatric Anolis lizards. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology. 327:110-118.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1002/jez.2076 Web of Science: 000408998700004
- Integrated Postprandial Responses of the Diamondback Water Snake, Nerodia rhombifer. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 83:618-631.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1086/648737 Web of Science: 000278785100006
Book Chapter
- 2023
  
  The integrative biology of snake coloration. 179-217.
Conference
- 2023
  
  Feeding Behavior and Prey Selection of a Small Fossorial Snake, Tantilla gracilis. Integrative and Comparative Biology. S126-S126.
  Web of Science: 000948800900357
- 2023
  
  Species-specific expression of growth-regulatory genes in Anolis congeners with divergent patterns of sexual size dimorphism. Integrative and Comparative Biology. S66-S66.
  Web of Science: 000948800900189
- 2021
  
  Both gene expression and physiology respond plasticity to thermal stress in a tropical forest lizard. Integrative and Comparative Biology. E763-E763.
  Web of Science: 000651814702226
- 2021
  
  Genetic constraints, gene expression plasticity, and the importance of extreme weather events in the evolutionary response to climate change. Integrative and Comparative Biology. E538-E539.
  Web of Science: 000651814701180
- 2021
  
  Temperature, oxygen, and the origins of viviparity. Integrative and Comparative Biology. E961-E962.
  Web of Science: 000651814703203
- 2021
  
  Using integrative biology to infer adaptation from comparisons of two (or a few) species. Integrative and Comparative Biology. E166-E167.
  Web of Science: 000651814700213
- 2020
  
  Evolution of skull morphology during diversification in specialist snakes. Integrative and Comparative Biology. E342-E342.
  Web of Science: 000536432401564
- 2020
  
  Phenotypic Plasticity and the Response to Increasing Temperatures in a Tropical Lowland Lizard. Integrative and Comparative Biology. E200-E200.
  Web of Science: 000536432400800
- 2020
  
  Sex-biased Parasitism and the Expression of a Sexual Signal in a Tropical Forest Lizard. Integrative and Comparative Biology. E47-E47.
  Web of Science: 000536432400189
Letter
- 2013
  
  The relative utility of sequence divergence and phylogenetic informativeness profiling in phylogenetic study design. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 437-437.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.10.016 Web of Science: 000312417800041
Note
- 2017
  
  Squamata - Lizards: Anolis sagrei (brown anole) and leiocephalus carinatus (northern curlytail lizard). ectoparasites. Herpetological Review. 842.
Other Scholarly Work
- 2022
  
  Predator-based selection and the impact of edge sympatry on components of coral snake mimicry (Feb, 10.1007/s10682-021-10143-8, 2022). Evolutionary Ecology. 151-151.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10161-0 Web of Science: 000758969200001
- 2019
  
  Evolutionary and ecological forces underlying ontogenetic loss of decoy coloration (vol 128, pg 138, 2019). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 778-778.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz137 Web of Science: 000493459600022
Preprint
- 2021
  
  Predator-Based Selection And The Impact of Edge Sympatry On Components of Coral Snake Mimicry
  Full Text via DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-493560/v1
- 2020
  
  A chromosome-level genome assembly for the Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus), a reptile model for physiological and evolutionary ecology
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.06.138248
- Widespread male-female expression imbalance of X-linked genes across phrynosomatid lizards
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1101/2025.10.06.680020
Review
- 2025
  
  The integrative biology of decoy coloration in lizards. Journal of Experimental Biology.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1242/jeb.249623 Web of Science: 001492173500010
- 2020
  
  Genetic Constraints, Transcriptome Plasticity, and the Evolutionary Response to Climate Change. Frontiers in Genetics.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.538226 Web of Science: 000576435200001
- 2018
  
  Synopsis and taxonomic revision of three genera in the snake tribe Sonorini. Journal of Natural History. 945-988.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2018.1449912 Web of Science: 000430048200007
- 2011
  
  Spatial Dynamics of Body Size Frequency Distributions for North American Squamates. Evolutionary Biology. 453-464.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s11692-011-9132-9 Web of Science: 000300092100007

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