Research in our lab resides at the intersection of genes, development and evolution. For reasons of experimental utility and evolutionary richness, our experimental model is the craniofacial skeleton in bony fishes. Broadly speaking, our approach is to integrate studies in a laboratory model (i.e., the zebrafish) and natural populations (e.g., cichlid fishes) to address two general research questions: What are the factors that contribute to jaw morphogenesis? And what are the factors that underlie patterns of natural variation in jaw shape? Ongoing research topics include:
• Developmental and genetic bases of craniofacial diversity, integration and plasticity in cichlids.
• Application of morphometric shape analyses to experimental studies of postembryonic craniofacial development in zebrafish.
• Evolution of bone loss and craniofacial diversity in Antarctic icefishes.