Kean Research Project Explores the Genetics of Hybrid Rattlesnakes
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Kean University - New JerseyKean University Assistant Professor Brenna Levine, Ph.D., and alumnus Nicolas Largotta ’24, ’26 M.S. are studying whether interbreeding between two different species of rattlesnakes affects how their offspring inherit genetic material.
Largotta joined Levine's lab as an undergraduate and later focused his master's thesis on the genetics of hybrid rattlesnakes. Although he graduated in May 2026 and now works at Bristol Myers Squibb, he remains involved in the research.
“I found somewhere that gave me an opportunity and continues to believe in me,” Largotta said. “My real growth is what I did outside of the classroom at Kean. The skills I carry with me today would not be there without the opportunities Brenna presented.”
The study, Departures from Mendelian Inheritance in Hybrid Rattlesnakes, focuses on prairie and Mojave rattlesnakes, two closely related species whose geographic ranges overlap and that are known to interbreed in the wild.
“Rattlesnakes frequently hybridize in nature,” Levine said. “You can have two different species that split from a common ancestor millions of years ago, but they will interact or overlap their ranges in nature and produce viable, fertile hybrids.”
Working with collaborators at the Chiricahua Desert Museum in New Mexico, Levine and Largotta used whole-genome sequencing to examine the genetic makeup of a non-hybrid prairie rattlesnake mother and three first-generation hybrid offspring.
Hybridization can introduce genetic incompatibilities when species with different evolutionary histories reproduce. The analysis focused on whether the hybrid offspring followed the usual patterns of genetic inheritance, known as Mendelian inheritance, which describe how genetic material passes from parents to offspring.
That finding is consistent with the fact that both species successfully hybridize in natural environments. When different species reproduce, genetic differences between them can sometimes interfere with how genetic material is passed to their offspring. However, the researchers found relatively few irregularities in the four hybrid rattlesnakes they examined, suggesting the species may be genetically compatible despite their different evolutionary histories.
Levine, an evolutionary biologist whose research focuses on mating, reproduction and natural selection, said the project grew out of an established collaboration with the Chiricahua Desert Museum. She invited Largotta to contribute to the genomic portion of the study.
“Nick worked in my lab for over three years,” Levine said. “He did an amazing job with his project.”
Largotta presented the research at two national scientific conferences: the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology meeting in Portland, Oregon, and the Biology of the Pit Vipers Conference at the Chiricahua Desert Museum in 2025. He was also named Graduate Student Researcher of the Year at Kean's 2026 Research Days.
“Being able to speak at national conferences was such a great opportunity,” Largotta said. “Our project was so unique that we got a lot of attention, which was extremely fulfilling.”
The collaboration demonstrates how faculty-student research relationships can extend into graduates' professional careers.
Levine and Largotta are currently revising a research paper detailing their findings and plan to continue examining the genetic consequences of hybridization.
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