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Research in Animal Biology |
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Animalia is the best-known kingdom of life on earth, yet much of animal biology remains mysterious. We do not even know how many species there are. (Estimates range from 2 to 30 million!) New techniques and approaches are facilitating research on a wide range of questions in animal biology. For example, we now have complete genomic DNA sequences for a variety of insects, worms, fish and mammals. Most of these animals are distantly related and very different from each other, yet their genomes are remarkably similar. This raises a question that will occupy biologists for a long time: how did organisms that remain so similar genetically come to differ so much in morphology, physiology, ecology and behavior? Over half the faculty in our department work on questions in animal biology, and collectively our expertise represents most of the major branches of zoological diversity. Fred Adler Ants (models of foraging and other behaviors) Mike Bastiani Insects, C. elegans (neurobiology) Dennis Bramble Vertebrates (functional morphology of breathing, locomotion) Mario Capecchi Mammals, especially mice (developmental genetics) Dave Carrier Vertebrates, especially dogs and other mammals (biomechanics) Dale Clayton Birds, feather lice (host-parasite relations) Dinah Davidson Ants (ecology, relations with ant-plants) Denise Dearing Mammals, especially rodents (diet) Joe Dickinson True (Hawaiian) fruit flies (developmental genetics) C. G. Farmer Herps, especially alligators (biomechanics) Don Feener Insects, especially ants and phorid flies (ecology & evolution) Dave Gard Frogs (cell biology, development) Franz Goller Birds (neurophysiology of song production) Harry Hirth Sea turtles (ecology and conservation) Erik Jorgensen C. elegans (neurobiology and genetics) Villu Maricq, M.D. C. elegans (neurobiology and behavior); humans (physiology) Toto Olivera Marine snails (biochemistry, evolution of Conus toxins) Wayne Potts Vertebrates, especially mice (MHC diversity) Eric Rickart Mammals, especially rodents (biogeography and systematics) Alan Rogers Humans (population genetics, population history) Gary Rose Frogs, electric fish (neurophysiology) Jon Seger Bees, apoid wasps, whale lice (evolutionary ecology and genetics) Michael D. Shapiro Vertebrate genetics, development, and evolution Irene Terry Insects, especially thrips (mating and host-finding behaviors) Neil Vickers Moths (neurophysiology of olfaction) David Wolstenholme Marine invertebrates (evolution of mitochondrial genomes) |