V. Louise Roth, Associate Professor of Biology and Biological Anthropology & Anatomy
Research Interests:
Morphological and molecular evolution in mammals: size, shape, and ontogeny
Research Summary:
In addition to conceptual work on the biological bases of
homology, variation, and parallel evolution, my research has
focused on evolutionary changes in size and shape in mammals:
the functional consequences of these changes, and the
evolutionary modifications of ontogenetic processes that
produce them. This work makes use of DNA sequences,
morphometric data, and geographic distributions to study
macroevolutionary changes within a phylogenetic context.
Projects have included DNA sequence phylogenies of
squirrels, experimental work on prenatal
maternal effects on body size in large insular
deermice, and morphometric studies of growth in
elephants, dwarfism in an insular (Pleistocene) dwarf mammoth,
and gigantism in insular deermice.
- Recent Publications
(More Publications)
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- V.L. Roth & J.M. Mercer. "Differing rates of macroevolutionary diversification in arboreal squirrels." Current Science (Accepted, publication expected 2008): 10, plus 4 figs.. [abs]
- Davis, C.M. & V.L. Roth. "The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus, Leporidae)." Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (Accepted, publication expected 2008): 40 [text & tables] + 4 Figs.. [abs]
- V.L. Roth. "Variation and versatility in macroevolution.." Variation, a Central Concept in Biology (2005): 455-474. [author's comments]
- J.M. Mercer & V.L. Roth. "The effects of Cenozoic global change on squirrel phylogeny.." Science 299 (2003): 1568-1572. (Supporting Online Material: www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/ 1079705/DC1)
- V.L. Roth. "Ecology and evolution of dwarfing in insular elephants." The World of Elephants: Proceedings of the 1st International Congress pp. 507-509 (2001).
- Contact Info:
- 241 Bio Sci Bldg |
919-660-7352, 919-660-7353 |
vlroth@duke.edu