A5075424064- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
- Environmental Science and Technology
- Morphological variations and asymmetry
- Digital Innovation in Industries
- Complex Systems and Time Series Analysis
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Electronic Health Records Systems
- Race, Genetics, and Society
- Reproductive tract infections research
- Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation
- Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
- Power Systems and Technologies
- Experience-Based Knowledge Management
- Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
2014-2025
Michigan United
2021-2024
University of California, Los Angeles
2021-2022
American Museum of Natural History
2020
Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa
2019
South Australian Museum
2014
The University of Adelaide
2014
Cornell University
2011-2014
Universität Hamburg
2011
Summary Understanding the dynamics of speciation, extinction and phenotypic evolution is a central challenge in evolutionary biology. Here, we present BAMM tools, an r package for analysis visualization macroevolutionary on phylogenetic trees. tools companion to , open‐source program reversible‐jump MCMC analyses diversification trait evolution. Functions operate directly output from program. The oriented towards reconstructing visualizing changes rates through time across clades Bayesian...
The correlation between species diversification and morphological evolution has long been of interest in evolutionary biology. We investigated the relationship these processes during radiation 250 + scincid lizards that constitute Australia's most species-rich clade terrestrial vertebrates. generated a time-calibrated phylogenetic tree for group was more than 85% complete at level collected multivariate morphometric data 183 species. reconstructed dynamics trait using Bayesian statistical...
Snakes and lizards (Squamata) represent a third of terrestrial vertebrates exhibit spectacular innovations in locomotion, feeding, sensory processing. However, the evolutionary drivers this radiation remain poorly known. We infer potential causes ultimate consequences squamate macroevolution by combining individual-based natural history observations (>60,000 animals) with comprehensive time-calibrated phylogeny that we anchored genomic data (5400 loci) from 1018 species. Due to shifts...
Living vertebrates vary drastically in body size, yet few taxa reach the extremely minute size of some frogs and teleost fish. Here we describe two new species diminutive terrestrial from megadiverse hotspot island New Guinea, one which represents smallest known vertebrate species, attaining an average only 7.7 mm. Both are members recently described genus Paedophryne, four all among ten frog making Paedophryne most anurans. This discovery highlights intriguing ecological similarities...
Describing the distribution of genetic variation across individuals is a fundamental goal population genetics. In humans, traditional approaches for describing often rely on discrete ancestry labels, which, despite their utility, can obscure complex, multi-faceted nature human history. These labels risk oversimplifying by ignoring its temporal depth and geographic continuity, may therefore conflate notions race, ethnicity, geography, ancestry. Here, we present method that capitalizes rich...
The Cenozoic marked a period of dramatic ecological opportunity in Earth history due to the extinction non-avian dinosaurs as well long-term physiographic changes that created new biogeographic theaters and habitats. Snakes underwent massive diversification during this period, repeatedly evolving novel dietary adaptations prey preferences. evolutionary tempo mode these trophic remain virtually unknown, especially compared with co-radiating lineages birds mammals are simultaneously predators...
Describing the distribution of genetic variation across individuals is a fundamental goal population genetics. We present method that capitalizes on rich genealogical information encoded in genomic tree sequences to infer geographic locations shared ancestors sample sequenced individuals. used this history ancestry set human genomes sampled from Europe, Asia, and Africa, accurately recovering major movements those continents. Our findings demonstrate importance defining spatiotemporal...
Public databases in taxonomy, phylogenetics and geographic fossil occurrence records are key research tools that provide raw materials, on which broad-scale analyses synthesis their respective fields based. Comparable repositories for natural history observations rare. Publicly available data traits like diet, habitat reproduction scattered across an extensive primary literature remain relatively inaccessible to researchers interested using these macroecology macroevolution. In this paper, I...
Ecological and phenotypic convergence is a potential outcome of adaptive radiation in response to ecological opportunity. However, number factors may limit during evolutionary radiations, including interregional differences biogeographic history clade-specific constraints on form function. Here, we demonstrate that single clade terrestrial snakes from Australia--the oxyuranine elapids--exhibits widespread morphological with phylogenetically diverse distantly related assemblage North America....
Abstract Background Fangs are a putative key innovation that revolutionized prey capture and feeding in snakes, – along with their associated venom phenotypes have made snakes perhaps the most medically-significant vertebrate animals. Three snake clades known for forward-positioned fangs, these (Elapidae, Viperidae, Atractaspidinae) contain majority of traditionally considered venomous. However, many other “rear-fanged”: they possess potentially venom-delivering teeth situated at rear end...
Colonization of novel habitats is often associated with differences in ecological community composition. For small diurnal animals, predator diversity and abundance can lead to behavioural shifts the habitat. The eastern fence lizard Sceloporus undulatus (Bosc Daudin, 1801) recently colonized gypsum dunes White Sands, a predator-poor relative predator-rich surrounding Chihuahuan dark-soil We used field experiments assess S. anti-predator behaviour white-sand versus habitats, laboratory...
The evolutionary dynamics of complex ecological traits-including multistate representations diet, habitat, and behavior-remain poorly understood. Reconstructing the tempo, mode, historical sequence transitions involving such traits poses many challenges for comparative biologists, owing to their multidimensional nature. Continuous-time Markov chains are commonly used model niche evolution on phylogenetic trees but limited by assumption that taxa monomorphic states univariate categorical...
The lowland rainforests of the Amazon basin harbor some most species-rich reptile communities on Earth. However, there is considerable heterogeneity among climatically-similar sites across basin, and faunal surveys for southwestern Amazonia in particular have revealed lower species diversity relative to northwestern central Amazon. Here, we report a herpetofaunal inventory Los Amigos Biological Station (LABS), site located Madre de Dios watershed southern Peru. By combining active search...
A bstract Organismal traits show dramatic variation in phylogenetic patterns of origin and loss across the Tree Life. Understanding causes consequences this depends critically on accounting for heterogeneity rates trait evolution among lineages. Here, we describe a method modeling among-lineage evolutionary rate with two discrete states. The assumes that present-day distribution binary is shaped by mixture stochastic processes which varies lineages phylogeny. number location changes, refer...
Dipsadine snakes represent one of the most spectacular vertebrate radiations that have occurred in any continental setting, with over 800 species South and Central America. Their richness is paralleled by stunning ecological diversity, ranging from arboreal snail-eating aquatic eel-eating specialists to terrestrial generalists. Despite importance this clade, little known about extent which specialization shapes broader patterns phenotypic diversity within group. Here, we test how habitat use...
What we mean by species and whether they have any biological reality has been debated since the early days of evolutionary biology. Some biologists even suggest that plant are created taxonomists as a subjective, artificial division nature. However, nature rarely tested critically with data while ignoring taxonomy. We integrate phenomic genomic collected across hundreds individuals at continental scale to investigate this question in Escallonia (Escalloniaceae), group plants which includes...
I describe a simple model for quantifying the strength of association between two categorical characters evolving on phylogenetic tree. The can be used to estimate correlation statistic that asks whether or not tend change at same time (positive correlation) different times (no correlation). This is than asking if changes in one character are associated with particular state another character, which has been focus most prior tests characters. Analyses simulated data indicate positive...
ABSTRACT The evolutionary dynamics of complex ecological traits – including multistate representations diet, habitat, and behavior remain poorly understood. Reconstructing the tempo, mode, historical sequence transitions involving such poses many challenges for comparative biologists, owing to their multidimensional nature intraspecific variability. Continuous-time Markov chains (CTMC) are commonly used model niche evolution on phylogenetic trees but limited by assumption that taxa...