Lauren Cole Sallan

This study examines how developmental constraints and selection for elongation shape neck morphology in birds and other archosaurs, showing that extreme neck elongation in crown birds results from increases in both cervical number and length.

The paper shows that phenotypic complexity determines whether convergent evolution leads to molecular convergence, using simulations of regulatory gene expression.

The paper shows that the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction triggered radiations of jawed vertebrates and relatives in isolated refugia, delaying their dominance for millions of years.

The paper introduces a model linking developmental constraints to the evolution of repeated structures, showing how structural features of gene regulatory networks influence divergence and fitness under selection.