Individual Listing

2314 SPIETH HALL
University of California
Riverside, CA 92521

Gatesy, John

Associate Professor

College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Biology


Biography

I am broadly interested in biodiversity and the evolutionary processes that produce this diversity. My research centers on phylogenetic reconstruction, the inferences that can be made using modern systematic techniques, and development of new methods for the analysis of comparative data. Because most species are extinct, relying solely on the extant fauna can lead to spurious inferences about the history of life. Thus, much of my current work is focused on building comprehensive phylogenetic hypotheses of all species in a particular evolutionary lineage. This entails merging paleontological and genomic data in large-scale phylogenetic analyses. Given the detailed historical information in comprehensive evolutionary trees, it is possible to test specific transformational hypotheses and to assess competing models of evolution at different hierarchical scales. Recent work includes phylogenetic studies of whale origins, an examination of the gene duplications that led to the evolution of mammalian milk proteins, and tests for selection on egg-specific proteins that are critical in fertilization.

Former Institution

University of Wyoming

Degrees

M.Phil. Giology & Geophysics 1990

Yale University

Ph.D. Geology & Geophysics 1993

Yale University

Awards

G. Evelyn Hutchinson Prize, Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, 1991
Estwing Hammer prize for Outstanding Performance in Field Geology, Yale University, 1992
Kalbfleisch Postdoctoral Fellow, American Museum of Natural History, 1993


Publications

1999 Gatesy, J., P. O'Grady, and R. Baker. Corroboration among data sets in simultaneous analysis: Hidden support for phylogenetic relationships among higher level artiodactyl taxa. Cladistics 15:271-313.

1999 Gatesy, J., M. Milinkovitch, V. Waddell, and M. Stanhope. Stability of cladistic relationships between Cetacea and higher level artiodactyl taxa. Systematic Biology 8(1):6-20.

2000 Gatesy, J. and P. Arctander. Hidden morphological support for the phylogenetic placement of Pseudoryx nghetinhensis with bovine bovids: A combined analysis of gross anatomical evidence and DNA sequences from five genes. Systematic Biology 49:515-538.

2000 Gatesy, J. Linked branch support and tree stability. Systematic Biology 49:800-807.

2001 Gatesy, J. and M. O'Leary. Deciphering whale origins with molecules and fossils. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 16:562-570.

2001 Gatesy, J., C. Hayashi, D. Motriuk, J. Woods, and R. Lewis. Extreme diversity, conservation, and convergence of spider silk fibroin sequences. Science 291:2603-2605.

2000 Gatesy J., and P. Arctander. Molecular evidence for the phylogenetic affinities of Ruminantia. In: Antelopes, Deer, and Relatives: Fossil Record, Behavioral Ecology, Systematics, and Conservation. E, Vrba and G. Schaller, eds., Yale University Press, pp. 143-155.