[Enviro-lunch] Today! NOW: Gregory Mutumi

[Nate Bogie]

[image: cid:ii_16161d9ee2cc0d99]



Hello Everyone,

Please join us for a talk this r*ight now* by Gregory Mutumi, 12-1pm in
Room SE2-302.







*Morphological Diversification under high Integration in a Hyper diverse
Mammal Clade*





[image: A person posing for the camera Description generated with very high
confidence]



*Abstract:*

The demands of flight select for small body size in flying animals,
including bats. Sensory systems therefore occupy finite cranial space and
thus there are potential trade-offs in size among sensory structures that
might evolve in highly integrated fashion within the skull. At the same
time, low integration has been linked to increased morphological diversity
and speciation rates. Phyllostomid bats occupy the widest range of dietary
niches among mammals. If bat skulls are highly integrated, then why are
phyllostomids so morphologically diverse? We assessed disparity in the
shapes of skulls and integration between the facial skeleton and cranium,
and how these parameters may have facilitated dietary diversity and
increased speciation within phyllostomids relative to their outgroups,
which both have fewer species and are all insectivorous. We analyzed 3D
images of micro-CT scanned skulls from 141 bats across 65 species from the
families Phyllostomidae, Noctilionidae, Mormoopidae, Mystacinidae,
Furipteridae, and Thyropteridae. Phyllostomid skulls were more integrated
and less disparate in shape when compared to all outgroups combined. Shape
diversity followed the diet-predicted adaptive peaks confirming the
well-established link between diet and the diversification of
phyllostomids. The changes in skull shape and feeding style within
phyllostomids are driven by relatively simple changes in the length and
width of the rostrum. The tight link between rostrum shape and diet allows
their highly integrated skulls to exhibit such functional diversity. This
finding provides one of the best empirical examples of how even highly
integrated structures can allow unique morphologies and spur adaptive
radiations.



*Bio:*

Gregory Mutumi is a Post-doc in the Evolutionary Morphology Lab of the
school of Natural Sciences. Under the supervision of Elizabeth Dumont,
Gregory seeks to understand the role of sensory adaptations in the
diversification of new-world leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae).  He comes
from a background in forestry in Zimbabwe and received his MSc in Zoology
from the University of Cape Town. His PhD was in Biological Sciences. His
pursuit of a PhD was spurred on by his interest in the evolutionary
processes responsible for the enormous diversity of life. For his thesis,
he teased apart the relative roles of natural selection and random genetic
drift in shaping the diversity of two species of horseshoe bats
(Rhinolophidae). Gregory hopes to further his enquiries of diversification
processes in bats and other mammals using a combination of information
derived from morphology, genetics and developmental processes.







When: Aug., 30 Thursday, 12pm – 1pm



Where: SE2-302



Coffee will be provided, please bring your own mugs.



We look forward to seeing you,



Nate & Jing



Organizers for Fall 2018: Nate Bogie and Jing Yan

Faculty coordinator: Asmeret Asefaw Berhe





Jing Yan
Postdoctoral Scholar, Soil Physics Lab, School of Natural Sciences,
University of California, Merced
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