Where
Environment and Natural Resources 2 Building, Room S107
1064 E. Lowell St., Tucson, AZ 85719
Presenter Details
My research takes an integrative approach to studying the evolution and diversification of functional morphological systems. I am particularly interested in how form (phenotype) and function are related and how these relationships are context-dependent in terms of habitat use and biotic interactions. Much recent work indicates that these relationships are complex, and understanding them is key to understanding how natural selection works on functional systems, both intraspecifically and in a comparative, evolutionary context. Most of my work uses lizards because of their phenotypic and ecological diversity.
My work falls into three broad areas:
- Complex relationships between phenotype and function.
- The role of abiotic and biotic context in affecting phenotype-function relationships.
- The convergent evolution and diversification of snakelike body forms.
I integrate phylogenetic, phenotypic (morphological traits and measurements), locomotor, and ecological data with an explicitly statistical and evolutionary approach. Phylogenetically-informed analyses are central to my research. My students and I have also developed new phylogenetically-informed statistics. Museum specimens feature prominently in my phenotypic datasets, allowing for maximal taxon sampling. Field data is also an important component, and I have conducted fieldwork in the United States, the Caribbean, Australia and the Philippines. I capture specimens in nature and conduct locomotion trials using high-speed video in the field. In the lab, I use high-speed video techniques and force plates to study animal locomotion in more detail. Together, these approaches form a powerful toolbox for addressing the research questions of my lab.