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Research Interests
- Development and application of function-valued trait methods to the evolution of complex traits.
- Evolution of growth and swimming performance ontogenies in laboratory populations of rainbow trout using a function-valued approach.
- Evolution of growth and swimming performance ontogenies in natural populations of salamanders using a function-valued approach.
- Physiological and evolutionary adaptations of larval salamanders for metamorphosis under environmental hypoxia.
My research focuses on the evolution of the integrated phenotype. Using ideas and methods from evolutionary and quantitative genetics, physiological ecology, and comparative physiology, my lab group addresses questions on the evolution of function-valued traits, the correlated responses of multiple traits to selection, and the relative effects of selection and drift on trait evolution. Our goal is to provide a fundamentally deeper understanding of the evolution of the entire phenotype and of evolutionary processes. Currently four major projects are being conducted in my lab: development and application of function-valued trait methods to the evolution of complex traits; evolution of growth, swimming performance and behavioral ontogenies in laboratory populations of rainbow trout; evolution of growth, swimming performance and physiological ontogenies in natural populations of amphibians; and physiological and evolutionary adaptations of larval salamanders for metamorphosis under environmental hypoxia. Please see my web page for more information, especially if you are a prospective student.
Representative Publications
(Note: *WSU undergraduate student, **WSU graduate student, ***WSU postdoc
Bronikowski***, A.M., T.J. Morgan**, T. Garland Jr. and P.A. Carter. 2006. The evolution of aging and age-related physical decline in mice selectively bred for high voluntary exercise. Evolution 60: 1494-1508.
Morgan**, T.J., M.A. Evans, T. Garland, Jr., J.G. Swallow, and P.A. Carter. 2005. Molecular and quantitative genetic divergence among populations of house mice with known evolutionary histories. Heredity 94:518-525.
Ragland**, G.J. and P.A. Carter. 2004. Genetic constraints on the evolution of growth and life history traits in the salamander Ambystoma macrodactylum. Heredity 92:569-578.
Morgan**, T.J., T. Garland, Jr., and P.A. Carter. 2003. Ontogenetic trajectories in mice selected for high wheel- running activity. I. Mean ontogenetic trajectories. Evolution 57:646-657.
Morgan**, T.J., T. Garland, Jr., B.L. Irwin*, J.G. Swallow, and P.A. Carter. 2003. The mode of evolution of molecular markers in populations of house mice under artificial selection for locomotor behavior. J Heredity 94:236-242.
Kingsolver, J.G., R.S. Gomulkiewicz, and P.A. Carter. 2001. Variation, selection, and evolution of function-valued traits. Genetica 112-113:87-104.