The Evans lab is interested in the ecology and evolution of phenotypic diversity, integrating data from developmental biology, ecology, biomechanics and phylogeny to understand this process at various timescales. Bony fishes provide a unique opportunity to ask these questions and study the origins of phenotypic diversity along with the interface between phenotype and environment, within the most species-rich assemblage of vertebrates on the planet. Our research program is centered on three questions:
1. How do patterns of ontogenetic variation scale to patterns of phenotypic diversity?
2. How do intrinsic (ontogenetic constraints) and extrinsic (environmental variation) factors influence patterns of phenotypic diversification and convergence?
3. How do functional traits covary in development and evolution?