Glenn Woodruff
Research Interests
My graduate work focuses on populations of northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus). I am interested in determining whether rattlesnakes inhabiting the Sutter Buttes of Northern California are geographically isolated from the Sierra Nevada rattlesnake population by the contrasting valley floor that surrounds the Sutter Buttes. I am comparing both genetics and venom from individuals in both the Sutter Butte range and Sierra Nevada foothills. Genetic markers will indicate whether or not gene flow has been restricted. I will also be examining venom because it has been shown to vary between populations of rattlesnakes. This focus on venom is based on numerous studies showing venom protein variation between populations of rattlesnakes. If the Sutter Butte rattlesnakes have been isolated from other populations, venom adaptations specific to the Sutter Buttes might have evolved.