Ecology · evolution · conservation
Small lizards.
Big questions.
Exploring how populations respond to new environments, from Mediterranean islands to neighborhoods across the United States.
CONNECTING BIOGEOGRAPHY ✳ BEHAVIOR ✳ HABITAT USE ✳ & CONSERVATION TO UNDERSTAND SPECIES INTRODUCTIONS
Our research focuses on a few central questions:
What happens to native communities when Italian wall lizards arrive?
Italian wall lizards connect questions about population history, individual behavior, and the ecological communities they join. Research combines field observations, experiments, and spatial data to understand these connections.
01 / Across landscapes
Islands & introductions
Compare populations with different geographic and introduction histories.
02 / Across perspectives
People make the science
Meet the researchers, students, and collaborators behind the work.
03 / Across communities
Your observation can help
Share a photograph and location to help document where wall lizards occur.
A scientist behind the stories
Meet Breann.
Breann Richey is a Ph.D. candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Texas A&M University. Her research examines the ecological and evolutionary processes contributing to introduction, establishment, and spread, and how native communities respond.
Her work brings together international field research, student mentorship, spatial analysis, and observations from the people who know their local landscapes best.
News & milestones
The latest from
the field & lab.
Research updates, conference conversations, grants, and awards.
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Willie Mae Harris Fellowship for Outstanding Teaching Assistants
Breann received the 2026 Willie Mae Harris Fellowship for Outstanding Teaching Assistants at Texas A&M University.
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Recognized as a 2026 Unsung Hero
Texas A&M recognized Breann’s service, mentorship, and contributions to the university community.
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Wall lizard research at the Texas Herpetological Society Symposium
Breann Richey and Audra Hicks shared research on Italian wall lizard behavior and habitat use at the Texas Herpetological Society Fall Symposium.
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Recognized for graduate student teaching
Texas A&M’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program recognized Breann’s commitment to teaching.
Away from the desk
Off the Transect
Photographs, reading notes, and stories from the places and ideas that shape the research.
