Dylan O. Burge, Biology Grad Student
I have always been intrigued by the diversity of living things. Life’s history, and the spectrum of extant diversity, is characterized by seemingly endless variation in form, function, and behavior, much of which has not yet been described or empirically examined. Every time I look more closely at a taxon, either through the eyes of previous researchers, or on my own, I am impressed by the detail and complexity of its story. However, it is impossible to study any living system, be it a cell or an ecological community, without some knowledge of its history. In the context of the most common and natural unit of biological study, the species, the important history is the branching pattern of the tree of life, which connects each organism to all other living things. These relationships are the subject matter of systematics. Thus, rigorous systematic work forms the foundation for most successful research programs in biology. In my research, I utilize a variety of tools, both traditional and modern, to reconstruct genealogical and co-evolutionary relationships between living organisms, and test hypotheses relating to patterns of diversification, changes in distribution, evolution of morphological characters, and co-evolution with other organisms.
Education:
BS, UC Davis, 2004
Office Location: 207 Biological Sciences Building
Office Phone: (919) 323-5447
Email Address: dob7@duke.edu
Web Page: http://openwetware.org/wiki/User:Dylan_O._Burge
Specialties:
Systematics
Evolution
Ecology and Population Biology
Organismal Biology and Behavior
Recent Publications (search)
- D.O. Burge, Taxonomy, biology, and distribution of the Pheidole californica complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)., The Journal of Hymenoptera Research, vol. 14 (2005), pp. 137-150 [html] [abs].
- D.O. Burge, Madagascar: succulent endemics of the arid south, Cactus and Succulent Journal, vol. 75 (2003), pp. 236-244 [html] [abs].
Duke Biology Box 90338 Durham, NC 27708 Phone: 919-660-7372 Fax: 919-660-7293