Morphological Trends in Mammalian Lineages
Patrick J. Lewis, Assistant Professor

My research spans a variety of periods, locations, and taxa while centering on the effects of environmental change on the skeletal and dental morphology of mammals. In general, I use morphometric methods to examine changes in bone and tooth morphology and attempt to correlate skeletal variations with their underlying causes. I am particularly intrigued by periods of rapid evolution in various mammalian lineages. The changing environments and faunas that define the end of the last ice are well recorded in the deposits of Texas. Student research projects will help to investigate the forces that affect bone modification by using changes in the late Quaternary bison lineage as a model. Projects may include the excavation of fossil bison, the examination of existing collections of bison fossils, or the study of internal bone anatomy using X-rays. Additional projects may examine new fossils or museum specimens to investigate how some species (e.g. beavers) that dramatically reconstruct their environments impact their own evolutionary trajectories.

For more information on this REU opportunity, please e-mail Dr. Lewis at pjlewis@shsu.edu.