The Indian subcontinent has been exposed to radical geological and climatic variations over geological time. Contact with other major landmasses, and the dispersal events that resulted from them, have made India and the rest of South Asia a fascinating natural laboratory for biogeography.

Snakes constitute ideal model systems for biogeographic studies given their almost cosmopolitan distribution, the ecological influence they wield, and their evolutionary age. Snakes of the Family Homalopsidae are of special interest given their semi-aquatic habits, and the behavioural and morphological adaptations unique to this clade. Homalopsids exhibit stark differences in their distributions, abundances, and feeding ecologies. This makes them ideal for addressing questions pertaining to phylogeography, ecology, and subsequently biogeography.

I aim to study the ecological and evolutionary determinants of homalopsid distribution. First, I aim to unravel the location of origin of this family and the ancestral state (fossorial/terrestrial, or aquatic) of the crown group. This will serve as a precursor to addressing questions on how homalopsids dispersed and colonized the Indian subcontinent. I will then utilize comparative phylogeography of select species to estimate how population structure varies as a function of tolerances of these snakes to abiotic factors. This would provide insights into factors that have allowed this clade to colonize their range given the geology and paleoclimate of the Indian plate and South-East Asia. Finally, I propose to utilize species distribution models to elucidate how these and other semi-aquatic snakes respond to gradients of abiotic stressors as well as their response to other sympatric snakes.