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One or more keywords matched the following properties of Westneat, Mark
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overview There are three primary questions around which I build my research program: What is the tree of life? How do animals work? How is structural and functional diversity generated and maintained? In order to play a part in these fields of inquiry, the central goals of much of the research in my laboratory are (1) to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of major coral reef fish groups, (2) to investigate basic biomechanics and functional morphology in organisms, and (3) to integrate phylogeny with biomechanics to understand the evolution of function in diverse groups of organisms. This research focuses primarily on phylogenetic systematics and the study of function in an attempt to generate an integrative approach to evolution. We try to use a range of techniques and approaches to these questions, from the resolution of phylogenetic relationships among fishes using molecular phylogenetics, to computer modeling and detailed biomechanics of muscle-tendon-bone systems (e.g. feeding mechanics) in fishes, to field studies of ecological traits of animals (habitat, feeding biology), to the internal function of small animals using a novel method in high-energy physics called synchrotron imaging. Ideas and techniques are employed from the fields of comparative and functional morphology, phylogenetic systematics, mechanical engineering, muscle physiology, morphometrics, and field ecology. By integrating data from different aspects of the biology of a group of organisms, I hope to reveal a broader picture of the complex evolutionary history of a diverse taxonomic group or an interesting functional system than could be generated from any single discipline alone. Students are welcome in the laboratory, and have worked on a much wider range of questions and organisms (fossils, birds, insects, lizards, snakes, and more!). Most students working in the lab have a general interest in evolution, biomechanics, phylogenetics, fishes, coral reefs, and/or field work. Check out the pages on my Field Museum web site to see more detail on the projects going on in the Westneat Lab!
One or more keywords matched the following items that are connected to Westneat, Mark
Item TypeName
Concept Phylogeny
Academic Article Evolution of behavior and neural control of the fast-start escape response.
Academic Article Evolutionary history of the parrotfishes: biogeography, ecomorphology, and comparative diversity.
Academic Article Relationships of the temperate Australasian labrid fish tribe Odacini (Perciformes; Teleostei).
Academic Article Gene rearrangements and evolution of tRNA pseudogenes in the mitochondrial genome of the parrotfish (Teleostei: Perciformes: Scaridae).
Academic Article Phylogenetic relationships, evolution of broodcare behavior, and geographic speciation in the wrasse tribe Labrini.
Academic Article Phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of the reef fish family Labridae.
Academic Article Molecular phylogenetics of the butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): taxonomy and biogeography of a global coral reef fish family.
Academic Article Phylogenetic relationships and the evolution of regulatory gene sequences in the parrotfishes.
Academic Article Exploring the radiation of a diverse reef fish family: phylogenetics of the damselfishes (Pomacentridae), with new classifications based on molecular analyses of all genera.
Academic Article Form and function of damselfish skulls: rapid and repeated evolution into a limited number of trophic niches.
Academic Article Local phylogenetic divergence and global evolutionary convergence of skull function in reef fishes of the family Labridae.
Academic Article Systematics Agenda 2020: the mission evolves.
Academic Article Phylotastic! Making tree-of-life knowledge accessible, reusable and convenient.
Academic Article Phylogenetic relationships and the evolution of BMP4 in triggerfishes and filefishes (Balistoidea).
Academic Article Evolutionary patterns of shape and functional diversification in the skull and jaw musculature of triggerfishes (Teleostei: Balistidae).
Academic Article The evolution of jaw protrusion mechanics is tightly coupled to bentho-pelagic divergence in damselfishes (Pomacentridae).
Academic Article Phylogenomic analysis of a rapid radiation of misfit fishes (Syngnathiformes) using ultraconserved elements.
Academic Article Burrowing fishes: Kinematics, morphology and phylogeny of sand-diving wrasses (Labridae).
Academic Article Functional morphology of endurance swimming performance and gait transition strategies in balistoid fishes.
Academic Article Do Coral Reefs Promote Morphological Diversification? Exploration of Habitat Effects on Labrid Pharyngeal Jaw Evolution in the Era of Big Data.
Academic Article Phylogeny of the damselfishes (Pomacentridae) and patterns of asymmetrical diversification in body size and feeding ecology.
Academic Article Suction feeding biomechanics of Polypterus bichir: investigating linkage mechanisms and the contributions of cranial kinesis to oral cavity volume change.
Academic Article The impact of paleoclimatic changes on body size evolution in marine fishes.
Academic Article Burrowing constrains patterns of skull shape evolution in wrasses.
Academic Article Phylogenomics and body shape morphometrics reveal recent diversification in the goatfishes (Syngnatharia: Mullidae).
Academic Article Concordance and Discordance in the Phylogenomics of the Wrasses and Parrotfishes (Teleostei: Labridae).
Academic Article Mosaic Evolution of the Skull in Labrid Fishes Involves Differences in Both Tempo and Mode of Morphological Change.
Academic Article Air sacs are a key adaptive trait of the insect respiratory system.
Academic Article Beaks promote rapid morphological diversification along distinct evolutionary trajectories in labrid fishes (Eupercaria: Labridae).
Academic Article Phylogenomic and comparative genomic analyses support a single evolutionary origin of flatfish asymmetry.
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  • Phylogeny