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
Phylogenetics, trait covariance analysis, and the evolution of fin and body shape in the surgeonfishes.
Phylogenetics, trait covariance analysis, and the evolution of fin and body shape in the surgeonfishes. Evolution. 2026 Jul 08; 80(7):1542-1560.
PMID: 42104957
Ecological and genomic signatures of the convergent evolution of planktivory in fossil and living reef fishes over deep time.
Ecological and genomic signatures of the convergent evolution of planktivory in fossil and living reef fishes over deep time. Nat Commun. 2026 May 22; 17(1).
PMID: 42173838
Biomechanics, muscle modeling, and the elevated bite force and tooth stress of piranhas.
Biomechanics, muscle modeling, and the elevated bite force and tooth stress of piranhas. Naturwissenschaften. 2026 Feb 09; 113(2):22.
PMID: 41661332
Biomechanics of raptorial dorsiflexion and tensile material properties of the m. tibialis cranialis tendon in the hindlimbs of hawks and owls.
Biomechanics of raptorial dorsiflexion and tensile material properties of the m. tibialis cranialis tendon in the hindlimbs of hawks and owls. J Exp Biol. 2025 12 01; 228(23).
PMID: 41250855
Ecological interactions and genomic innovation fueled the evolution of ray-finned fish endothermy.
Ecological interactions and genomic innovation fueled the evolution of ray-finned fish endothermy. Sci Adv. 2025 Jun 27; 11(26):eads8488.
PMID: 40561012
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 04; 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 10; 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