Donald L. Swiderski
Dr. Donald L. Swiderski
Research Laboratory Specialist
Intermediate and Adjunct Assistant Research Scientist
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, USA
I am an evolutionary biologist interested primarily in the relationship between morphological changes and functional transitions in both evolution and ontogeny. I use quantitative analyses of skeletal shape data to gain a better understanding of (a) what morphological attributes actually differ between species or growth stages in different ecological roles, and (b) the relevance of morphological change to functional or ecological change. My recent research has focused on the relationship between diversity and disparity in squirrels, using quantitative analyses of jaw shape. I also am interested in locomotion and the relationship between locomotory and dietary transitions, and in form-function relationships throughout the animal kingdom.
Courses
