Research Projects:

Comparative musculo-skeletal ontogeny of tetrapods

Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich

South Australian Museum, Adelaide

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide

Australian Reptile Research and Breeding Centre, South Australia

            The importance of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) in bringing embryology to the evolutionary synthesis cannot be underestimated. However, the field is largely dominated by experimental approaches using model species and by molecular biology.  These “model species” are assumed to be typical of all members of the larger group too which they belong – our knowlwdge of the embryology of the “lizard” for instance, is really based mainly on just one species, the European green lizard (family Lacertidae).

            Recognising this limitation, studies aimed at broadening the sampling and using  comparative approaches to study ontogeny are now experiencing a revival, addressing the old question of the impact of developmental studies on our understanding of evolutionary relationships. This kind of work is also benefiting from advances in experimental techniques and the incorporation of palaeontological data, and is in part inspired by the growing realization that the study of complex structures in time is fundamental to generate solid phylogenetic hypotheses based on morphological characters. This project aims at addressing this issue by studying heterochronies (changes in developmental timing) in the late development of selected Recent and fossil amniotes.

            Examination of skeletal heterochronies in tetrapods are restricted to few taxa and have sampled either the skull or the postcranium. Some patterns have been discovered, but they require testing with a wider sampling. The phylogenetic breadth examined in this project and the new methods employed would address questions such as: How conserved are ossification sequences among amniotes? Are heterochronic shifts connected to functional/ecological traits? How are these shifts related to morphological diversification?

            Our collaboration aims to examine the variation in developmental patterns across the order Squamata (lizards and snakes).  At present relatively few families have had the embryology of their skeletal development described, and so our understanding of this process is limited to assumptions that the same patterns are common to all families. Given the enormous anatomical variations across the 8,000 or so squamate species, such assumptions are patently on shaky ground.

 http://www.pim.uzh.ch/en/Institut/Mitarbeitende/index.php?show=34&get=rs

Dietary study of Delma molleri, the Adelaide Snake-lizard

A small initial study with Dr. Mark Hutchinson of South Australian Museum

Currently we are dissecting stomach contents from museum specimens, to establish the dietary habits of Delma molleri. This is in anticipation of having live animals cared for here later in 2009, as part of a project in embryonic development.

Follicular Development of Monitor Lizards

AVAILABLE: If you are an honours student and would like to work with monitor lizards, we have a project that will provide valuable information on the breeding cycles of monitor lizards. It will involve a lot of work with ultrasound units, which can be tricky to learn to use. However, it is a project that will provide results, and useful ones.