Global ETD Search
Search theses and dissertations gathered from participating repositories worldwide. Every result links back to the library that holds it. No account is needed.
Results
Showing 1 to 12 of 12 for “"Phylogenetic comparative methods"”.
-
Hiding in plain sight: accounting for rate heterogeneity in trait evolution models
<p>Within the last four decades, phylogenetic comparative methods have become the defacto method of analysis for comparative biologists. The availability of high-quality comparative datasets has been matched by an explosion of possible phylogenetic models. In large part, the efforts to increase the …
-
When the Map Fails the Territory: Hidden State Models, Complex Traits and the Evolution of Bird Migration
Phylogenetic comparative methods often rely on simplifying complex biological traits into discrete categories, potentially obscuring evolutionary patterns and generally limiting inferences. This dissertation confronts this ``map versus territory" problem by developing and evaluating methodological …
-
Intertwined evolution of swimming, morphology and microhabitat in tree frogs from the subfamily Hylinae
Multidisciplinary studies including phylogenetic inference, functional morphology and phylogenetic comparative methods are imperative to understand how closely related species evolved. By combining those three approaches we aim to disentangle the evolution of morphological traits and their …
-
Developmental, ecological and biological drivers of macroevolutionary trajectories of postcranial morphological diversification in bats
… morphometrics, 3D virtual imaging and phylogenetic comparative methods have innovated evolutionary studies of comparative and functional morphology. The objective of my thesis was to explore the macroevolutionary trajectories of bat wing morphological diversification. Specifically, the …
-
Phylogenetics of North American Psoraleeae (Leguminosae): Rates and Dates in a Recent, Rapid Radiation
<p>The scientific discipline of phylogenetics involves understanding the diversity of life in the context of history. Technological advances in molecular biology and computational power have created an exponential increase in the number and kind of phylogenetic studies, allowing exploration of all …
-
Exaggerated male weaponry in New Zealand sheet-web spiders (Cambridgea)
… phylogeny for the genus. Using this, I apply phylogenetic comparative methods to examine how weapon and body traits covary across the genus. Finally, I analyse how components of chelicerae anatomy vary across males and between adult males, adult females and penultimate males to investigate how …
-
The evolution of convergence, growth, and diet under an adaptive landscape framework
… one another on the same landscape. The world of phylogenetic comparative methods uses the theory of the adaptive landscape in investigating the trajectory of trait change but is often limited to extant organisms. The fossil record often represents a major gap in the use of adaptive landscape …
-
Phylogenetic Niche Modeling
… condition change. Modeling niche in a phylogenetic framework leverages a clade's shared evolutionary history to pull species estimates closer towards phylogenetic conserved values and farther away from species specific biases. We propose a new Bayesian model of phylogenetic niche …
-
Bat Skull Evolution: the Impact of Echolocation
… muscles and echolocation characteristics), using phylogenetic comparative methods. I found that skull diversification among bat families is mainly driven by sound emission type (i.e., nasal and oral) and broad diatary preferences. Feeding parameters (i.e., bite force and masticatory muscles) …
-
What Makes Our Minds Human? Comparative Phylogenetic Perspectives on the Evolution of Cognition
… the `what' of human cognitive evolution through comparative studies with chimpanzees and bonobos. The general aim of these studies is to understand which aspects of cognition are unique to humans, and which are shared with our closest living relatives. Chapters 2-3 test the hypothesis that humans …
-
From Genes to Traits and Ecosystems: Evolutionary Ecology of <i>Sphagnum</i> (Peat Moss)
… decomposability, and litter biochemistry is phylogenetically conserved in <i>Sphagnum</i>, meaning that closely related species tend to be more similar in trait values than species selected at random from the phylogeny. Furthermore, these results suggest that patterns of trait covariation …
-
Evolution of primate cuboid form and the application of learning methods to the analysis of morphological and behavioral phenotypes
Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2024-03-01 without embargo terms