R. Craig Albertson

About

Our research interests lie at the intersection of genes, development and evolution. For reasons of experimental utility and evolutionary richness, our experimental model is the craniofacial skeleton (and other neural crest derived structures) in bony fishes. Specifically, we are interested in integrating studies in laboratory models (e.g., zebrafish) and natural populations (e.g., cichlid fishes) to address two general research questions: What are the factors that contribute to craniofacial development? And what are the factors that underlie patterns of natural variation in craniofacial shape? Methods of study include quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, population genomics, genome-wide transcription profiling, experimental embryology, and quantitative shape analysis (geometric morphometrics).

Research topics

• Biology
• Ecology
• Evolutionary biology
• Genetics
• Paleontology
• Fishery
• Neuroscience
• Medicine
• Statistics

Selected publications

• The cichlid oral and pharyngeal jaws are evolutionarily and genetically coupled

  Nature Communications · 2021 · 59 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Evolutionary constraints may significantly bias phenotypic change, while "breaking" from such constraints can lead to expanded ecological opportunity. Ray-finned fishes have broken functional constraints by developing two jaws (oral-pharyngeal), decoupling prey capture (oral jaw) from processing (pharyngeal jaw). It is hypothesized that the oral and pharyngeal jaws represent independent evolutionary modules and this facilitated diversification in feeding architectures. Here we test this hypothes…

  DOI

• Ecomorphological divergence and habitat lability in the context of robust patterns of modularity in the cichlid feeding apparatus

  BMC Evolutionary Biology · 2020 · 41 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Adaptive radiations are characterized by extreme and/or iterative phenotypic divergence; however, such variation does not accumulate evenly across an organism. Instead, it is often partitioned into sub-units, or modules, which can differentially respond to selection. While it is recognized that changing the pattern of modularity or the strength of covariation (integration) can influence the range or rate of morphological evolution, the relationship between shape variation and covaria…

  DOI

• Hedgehog signaling is necessary and sufficient to mediate craniofacial plasticity in teleosts

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2020 · 32 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of a single genotype to produce multiple phenotypes under different environmental conditions, is critical for the origins and maintenance of biodiversity; however, the genetic mechanisms underlying plasticity as well as how variation in those mechanisms can drive evolutionary change remain poorly understood. Here, we examine the cichlid feeding apparatus, an icon of both prodigious evolutionary divergence and adaptive phenotypic plasticity. We first provide a t…

  DOI

• Rapid morphological change in multiple cichlid ecotypes following the damming of a major clearwater river in Brazil

  Evolutionary Applications · 2020 · 29 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  ), permanent reservoir was established. We used geometric morphometrics to evaluate changes in native cichlids, comparing historical museum specimens collected from the Tocantins to contemporary specimens collected from the Tucuruí reservoir. Six species across five genera were included to represent distinct ecomorphs, from large piscivores to relatively small opportunistic omnivores. Notably, statistically significant changes in shape and morphological disparity were observed in all species. Mo…

  DOI

• A brain-wide analysis maps structural evolution to distinct anatomical module

  eLife · 2023-07-27 · 19 citations

  articleOpen access

  The vertebrate brain is highly conserved topologically, but less is known about neuroanatomical variation between individual brain regions. Neuroanatomical variation at the regional level is hypothesized to provide functional expansion, building upon ancestral anatomy needed for basic functions. Classically, animal models used to study evolution have lacked tools for detailed anatomical analysis that are widely used in zebrafish and mice, presenting a barrier to studying brain evolution at fine…

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Kevin J. Parsons

  University of Glasgow

  22 shared

• Andrew J. Conith

  DePaul University

  19 shared

• Thomas D. Kocher

  University of Maryland, College Park

  18 shared

• Yinan Hu

  Xijing Hospital

  14 shared

• W. James Cooper

  Western Washington University

  13 shared

• Nicole L. Jacobs‐McDaniels

  11 shared

• Kara E. Powder

  Clemson University

  10 shared

• Pamela C. Yelick

  Tufts University

  10 shared

Labs

• AlbertsonlabPI

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