Ph.D. – Auburn University M.S. – University of Northern Iowa B.A. – University of Northern Iowa
Research Interests
I use cutting-edge phylogenetic comparative methods of high-dimensional shape data to ask central questions about diversification mechanisms. My research focuses on factors that promote or constrain morphological and functional diversity, including (1) the drivers of diversification (e.g., intrinsic vs. extrinsic factors), (2) the influence of ecological interactions (e.g., diet type and feeding mode), and (3) the influence of functional constraints on form (e.g., morphological optimums). Most of my work concentrates on fishes; however, I am broadly interested in all animals, as evidenced by my postdoctoral work on arachnid evolution.
Publications
Black CR., Armbruster JW. 2022, Nov. Integration and modularity in the diversity of the suckermouth armored catfishes. Royal Society Open Science. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220713.
Black CR., Armbruster JW. 2022, Nov. Chew on this: Oral jaw shape is not correlated with diet type in Loricariid catfishes. PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277102.
Berendzen P., Holmes S., Abels J. Black CR. 2021, November. Morphological diversity within the Ozark minnow (Notropis nubilus: Cyprinidae). Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14951.
Black CR., Armbruster JW. 2021, May. New method of isotopic analysis: Baseline Standardized Isotope Vector Analysis show trophic partitioning in loricariids. Ecosphere. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3503.
Black CR., Berendzen P. 2020, April. Shared ecological traits influence shape of the skeleton in flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes). PeerJ. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8919.
