One of the core features of evolution is its uneven pace: whereas some traits and lineages appear relatively inert for millions of years, others diversify rapidly. What causes this disparity? To what extent are inferences about the pace of evolution influenced by the traits examined? Does stasis in one phenotypic dimension involve rapid evolution in another? I will address these questions by sharing discoveries made from the study of Caribbean anole lizards and Appalachian woodland salamanders.

Behavioral thermoregulation is an important defense against the negative impacts of climate change for many ectotherms. One such example is the fiddler crab Minuca pugnax, a species that occupies thermally unstable mudflat habitats, where it uses behavioral thermoregulation, including burrow retreats, to manage body temperature (Tb).

Dr. Brennan studies the functional morphology of genitalia in vertebrates to understand their complex evolution. She is interested in coevolution because the mechanical interaction of genitalia suggests that male and female must fit together to make copulation possible, however, her work has highlighted the gaps in our understanding of female genitalia. She has worked with birds, dolphins, bats, sharks, skates and more recently alpacas and snakes, discovering amazing adaptations in all these groups.

In Canada's winters, animals must contend with subzero temperatures. Some species migrate, others find warm microhabitats, and yet others just develop the impressive ability to either prevent or survive ice crystal growth at very low temperatures. Our lab studies the ability of boreal forest pest eastern spruce budworm as well as West Coast intertidal invertebrates to survive and thrive in subzero conditions. We work on everything from the biochemistry of ice binding proteins and the biosynthesis of cryoprotectants through to the impacts of winters on population growth and distribution.