Ecological Morphology  BIO592

Ecological morphology examines the relation between an animal's anatomy and physiology--its form and function--and how the animal has evolved in and can inhabit a particular environment. Within the past few years, research in this relatively new area has exploded. Ecological Morphology is a synthesis of major concepts and a demonstration of the ways in which this integrative approach can yield rich and surprising results. Ecological Morphology also covers the history of the field, the role of the comparative method in studying adaptation, and the use of data from modern organisms for understanding the ecology of fossil communities.

 Ecological morphology is for all biologists and students who are interested in the way animal design, ecology, and evolution interact.

 Discussion Topics

1. Introduction

Part I. Concepts, Issues, and Approaches

2. Ecological and Evolutionary Inferences from Morphology: An Ecological Perspective

3. Functional Morphology as a Tool in Ecological Research

4. Adaptation, Constraint, and the Comparative Method: Phylogenetic Issues and Methods

5. Evaluating the Adaptive Role of Morphological Plasticity

6. Allometric Aspects of Predator-Prey Interactions

7. Ecomorphological Analysis of Fossil Vertebrates and Their Paleocommunities

Part II. Model Systems

8. Roles of Hydrodynamics in the Study of Wave-Swept Shores

9. Wing Design, Flight Performance, and Habitat Use in Bats

10. Ecological Morphology of Locomoter Performance in Squamate Reptiles

11. The Role of Physiological Capacity, Morphology, and Phylogeny in Determining Habitat Use in Mosquitoes

12. The Ecological Morphology of Metamorphosis: Heterochrony and the Evolution of Feeding Mechanisms in Salamanders

13. Conclusion: Ecological Morphology and the Power of Integration