University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

Lucy  Tran

Ph.D. student

Field of Study

Spatial patterns and processes of speciation

Adademic Background

B.S. Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution with minor in Geography/Environmental Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, 2007

Research Interests

My research uses geometric morphometric techniques (studying the variation and change in the size and shape of skulls) to assess how ecological factors drive speciation in African and Asian colobine monkeys. Divergence in ecological traits that mediate species' interactions with their environment in response to, for example, interspecific competition or ecological opportunity (e.g., traits that are functionally related to trophic use) can implicate natural selection in generating species richness. I am also interested in applying coalescent-based approaches to inferring the phylogeny of colobine monkeys and the phylogeographic history of one colobine group, the endangered douc langurs of Southeast Asia.

Advisor/s

L. Lacey Knowles

Websites