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RESEARCH

3D reconstruction of juvenile Rana sylvatica nasal capsules, posterior view.
Left nasal placode extirpated at St. 21.

I am broadly interested in all aspects of vertebrate biology, and am willing to consider graduate students working on a variety of topics. My own research focuses on the interaction of morphological and life history evolution in amphibians. I am particularly interested in the evolutionary origin of metamorphosis from ancestral direct-developing ontogenies, and the relation of metamorphic changes to the functional shifts between larval and post-metamorphic stages. Questions examined include:

Are there derived features of metamorphosis that unite the three living amphibian groups?
How has the metamorphic process evolved within the Amphibia?
What metamorphic changes are likely to have occurred in the ancestor of living amphibians?
How are metamorphic changes in the cranial musculoskeletal system related to changes in feeding?
How are metamorphic changes in sensory systems related to changes in ambient environment?
What epigenetic mechanisms underly the morphological changes of metamorphosis?

In addition, I have a strong interest in the history and philosophy of biology, especially evolutionary biology, and the structure of evolutionary explanations.




	RESEARCH 3D reconstruction of juvenile Rana sylvatica nasal capsules, posterior view. Left nasal placode extirpated at St. 21. I am broadly interested in all aspects of vertebrate biology, and am willing to consider graduate students working on a variety of topics. My own research focuses on the interaction of morphological and life history evolution in amphibians. I am particularly interested in the evolutionary origin of metamorphosis from ancestral direct-developing ontogenies, and the relation of metamorphic changes to the functional shifts between larval and post-metamorphic stages. Questions examined include: Are there derived features of metamorphosis that unite the three living amphibian groups? How has the metamorphic process evolved within the Amphibia? What metamorphic changes are likely to have occurred in the ancestor of living amphibians? How are metamorphic changes in the cranial musculoskeletal system related to changes in feeding? How are metamorphic changes in sensory systems related to changes in ambient environment? What epigenetic mechanisms underly the morphological changes of metamorphosis? In addition, I have a strong interest in the history and philosophy of biology, especially evolutionary biology, and the structure of evolutionary explanations.