There are three primary questions around which I build my research program: What is the tree of life? How do animals work? How is structural and functional diversity generated and maintained? In order to play a part in these fields of inquiry, the central goals of much of the research in my laboratory are
(1) to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of major coral reef fish groups,
(2) to investigate basic biomechanics and functional morphology in organisms, and
(3) to integrate phylogeny with biomechanics to understand the evolution of function in diverse groups of organisms.
This research focuses primarily on phylogenetic systematics and the study of function in an attempt to generate an integrative approach to evolution. We try to use a range of techniques and approaches to these questions, from the resolution of phylogenetic relationships among fishes using molecular phylogenetics, to computer modeling and detailed biomechanics of muscle-tendon-bone systems (e.g. feeding mechanics) in fishes, to field studies of ecological traits of animals (habitat, feeding biology), to the internal function of small animals using a novel method in high-energy physics called synchrotron imaging. Ideas and techniques are employed from the fields of comparative and functional morphology, phylogenetic systematics, mechanical engineering, muscle physiology, morphometrics, and field ecology. By integrating data from different aspects of the biology of a group of organisms, I hope to reveal a broader picture of the complex evolutionary history of a diverse taxonomic group or an interesting functional system than could be generated from any single discipline alone.
Students are welcome in the laboratory, and have worked on a wide range of questions and organisms (fossils, birds, insects, lizards, snakes, and more!). Most students working in the lab have a general interest in evolution, biomechanics, phylogenetics, fishes, coral reefs, and/or field work.
Check out our main web site to see more detail on the projects going on in the Westneat Lab!
Duke University
Durham, NC
Postdoctoral - Neurobiology
1991
Duke University
Durham, NC
Ph.D. - Zoology
1990
College of Wooster
Wooster, OH
B.A. - Biology
1984
Cranial kinematics and prey-type effects in Amia ocellicauda feeding strikes.
Cranial kinematics and prey-type effects in Amia ocellicauda feeding strikes. Proc Biol Sci. 2025 Apr; 292(2045):20242542.
PMID: 40264349
Colonization Dynamics Explain the Decoupling of Species Richness and Morphological Disparity in Syngnatharian Fishes across Oceans.
Colonization Dynamics Explain the Decoupling of Species Richness and Morphological Disparity in Syngnatharian Fishes across Oceans. Am Nat. 2025 Mar; 205(3):E80-E99.
PMID: 39965231
Ecological shifts underlie parallels between ontogenetic and evolutionary allometries in parrotfishes.
Ecological shifts underlie parallels between ontogenetic and evolutionary allometries in parrotfishes. Proc Biol Sci. 2024 Oct; 291(2033):20241897.
PMID: 39471865
Phylogenomic and comparative genomic analyses support a single evolutionary origin of flatfish asymmetry.
Phylogenomic and comparative genomic analyses support a single evolutionary origin of flatfish asymmetry. Nat Genet. 2024 Jun; 56(6):1069-1072.
PMID: 38802566
Evolutionary Patterns of Modularity in the Linkage Systems of the Skull in Wrasses and Parrotfish.
Evolutionary Patterns of Modularity in the Linkage Systems of the Skull in Wrasses and Parrotfish. Integr Org Biol. 2023; 5(1):obad035.
PMID: 37860086
Beaks promote rapid morphological diversification along distinct evolutionary trajectories in labrid fishes (Eupercaria: Labridae).
Beaks promote rapid morphological diversification along distinct evolutionary trajectories in labrid fishes (Eupercaria: Labridae). Evolution. 2023 09 01; 77(9):2000-2014.
PMID: 37345732
Concordance and Discordance in the Phylogenomics of the Wrasses and Parrotfishes (Teleostei: Labridae).
Concordance and Discordance in the Phylogenomics of the Wrasses and Parrotfishes (Teleostei: Labridae). Syst Biol. 2023 Jun 17; 72(3):530-543.
PMID: 36331534
Mosaic Evolution of the Skull in Labrid Fishes Involves Differences in Both Tempo and Mode of Morphological Change.
Mosaic Evolution of the Skull in Labrid Fishes Involves Differences in Both Tempo and Mode of Morphological Change. Syst Biol. 2023 Jun 16; 72(2):419-432.
PMID: 36111797
Air sacs are a key adaptive trait of the insect respiratory system.
Air sacs are a key adaptive trait of the insect respiratory system. J Exp Biol. 2023 05 15; 226(10).
PMID: 37204298
Concordance and Discordance in the Phylogenomics of the Wrasses and Parrotfishes (Teleostei: Labridae).
Concordance and Discordance in the Phylogenomics of the Wrasses and Parrotfishes (Teleostei: Labridae). Syst Biol. 2022 Nov 04.
PMID: 36331534