Investigating The Influence Of Diet On Mammalian Evolution: Are You What You Eat?

Abstract

Darwin well knew that climate and its effects on food availability in the environment played a major role in natural selection. In the almost 200 years since his writings, we have learned much more about how an animal’s diet is linked to almost every other aspect of its ecology and evolution. As a paleontologist, I use a variety of methods to test hypotheses about the ecological links among extinct taxa and their environment. By both looking at the fossil record and modern animals, we can better understand the processes that govern organismal diet, ecological diversity, and changes in ecological communities. In this talk, I will discuss insights from several projects that have aimed to answer the question: how has diet influenced mammalian evolution and extinction through time?