Developmental Constraint on the Evolution of Marsupial Forelimb Morphology. Methods in Cell Biology: The Zebrafish, 3rd Edition. Morphogenesis of the zebrafish jaw: Development beyond the embryo, in M.

Functional and Genetic Integration in the Skulls of Lake Malawi Cichlids. James Cooper, James Wernle, Kenneth Mann, and R. International Journal of Evolutionary Biology. More than meets the eye: Functionally salient changes in internal bone architecture accompany divergence in cichlid feeding mode. I am strongly interested in how genetic changes have affected fish skull evolution by altering cranial morphogenesis during development, and the ease with which many damselfishes can be raised in aquaria facilitates performing comparative developmental studies of an important adaptive radiation. Damselfishes constitute a successful lineage of near-shore reef fishes that includes the familiar anemonefishes (i.e., the “clownfishes”), and they are found in abundance on all coral reefs throughout the tropics. Much of my current research is focused on skull evolution in one specific branch of the percomorph tree: the damselfishes (Pomacentridae). Percomorph evolution has involved the reshaping of highly complex crania into strongly divergent forms, while simultaneously maintaining functional integration between reconfigured skeletal and muscular elements. I have a particular interest in the functionally intricate skulls of those fishes in the lineage Percomorpha, which not only represent one of the most species-rich branches of the vertebrate tree, but who also exhibit a phenomenal range of skull morphologies, cranial biomechanics, and feeding strategies.

My studies are directed at understanding the adaptive divergence of cranial anatomy in fishes.

William cooper skull bones