Current Research
Ph.D. Dissertation: "The Paleozoic actinopterygian radiation: the consequences of Earth history events on vertebrate biodiversity"
- Advisor: Michael Coates
- Summary: Ray-finned fishes, or actinopterygians, are the most diverse group of living vertebrates, represented by some 30,000 species. In contrast, actinopterygians were relatively rare for a prolonged period after their origination in the mid-Paleozoic, with only a dozen species known from the Devonian - "the Age of Fishes." The explosive taxonomic and ecological radiation of actinopterygians after the end-Devonian mass extinction event remains one of the great untold stories of vertebrate evolution, one which resonates to this day. My research focuses on this first large diversification of ray-finned fish and involves new reconstructions of early actinopterygian phylogeny, quantification of (then-novel) ecomorphologies, characterization of post-Devonian ecosystems of which actinopterygians were a key part, and analyses of the mass extinction which presaged such a sudden and adaptive radiation.
Presentations
- Sallan, L. Vertebrate biodiversity and large-scale turnover during the Devonian-Mississippian transition. Society for Vertebrate Paleontology 69th Annual Meeting. University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. September 23-26, 2009.
- Sallan, L. The impact of the Late Devonian biotic crisis on global vertebrate diversity: results from a new Paleozoic database. 9th North American Paleontological Convention. Cincinnati, OH. June 21-26, 2009.
- Sallan, L and Coates, MI. Bandringa: the "spoonbill dogfish" from Mazon Creek, IL. Geological Society of America, North-Central Section. 43rd Annual Meeting. Rockford, IL. April 2-3, 2009.
Funding
Previous Research
M.S. Thesis: "A Phylogeny of Mexican Ambystoma Salamanders (Caudata:Ambystomatidae) from Larval Characters"
Last Updated: 10/11/2009
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