On the morphology of the craniote respiratory apparatus and integument: functional and evolutionary considerations

My research interests revolve around the general aim of better understanding the evolution of organisms, craniotes in particular, and I use the morphological diversity as my access point to tackle this problem.

I am especially interested in structure-function interactions and the phylogenetic history of selected morphological traits. My overarching questions are focusing on which biological role a given structure plays for an organism, how does it interact with other organ systems, when did it evolve, and ultimately also: what might have been its initial selective advantage? With this talk I will present several examples from the morphology of the respiratory apparatus and integument and illustrate how studying these two faculties can contribute to better resolving the evolutionary history of craniotes.