Research in our lab is driven by our goal of understanding how developmental mechanisms influence morphologic diversification. To pursue our goal, we combine traditional embryological and paleontological approaches with modern developmental genetic and morphometric techniques to gather data from fossil and living mammals.  We study mammals because they not only possess a variety of developmental modes, adult morphologies and a good fossil record, but also include one of the best-studied model organisms – the mouse.  In addition to mouse, we utilize a variety of other mammalian species in our study of development, including bats, kangaroos, possums, artiodactyls and moles. 

Historically, our understanding of patterns of morphologic evolution has come from the comparative anatomical study of living organisms and those preserved as fossils. By applying data from additional sources, such as developmental genetics, to the study of morphologic evolution we are able to go a step further and examine the processes responsible for these patterns. This allows us to address large-scale questions such as how do: developmental changes lead to morphologic innovations, developmental mechanisms bias the direction of morphologic evolution, and different genetic mechanisms contribute to morphologic evolution?

Please click on the links below to get details on some of the research subjects pursued in the lab.