Philip Bergmann
Professor, Biology
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My research takes an integrative approach to studying the evolution and diversification of functional morphological systems. I am particularly interested in how form (phenotype) and function are related, and how these relationships are context-dependent in terms of habitat use and biotic interactions. Much recent work indicates that these relationships are complex, and understanding them is key to understanding how natural selection works on functional systems, both intraspecifically and in a comparative, evolutionary context. Most of my work uses lizards because of their great phenotypic and ecological diversity. My work falls into three broad areas:
I integrate phylogenetic, phenotypic (morphological traits and measurements), locomotor, and ecological data with an explicitly statistical and evolutionary approach. Phylogenetically-informed analyses are central to my research. My students and I have also developed new phylogenetically-informed statistics. Museum specimens feature prominently in my phenotypic datasets, allowing for maximal taxon sampling. Field data are also an important component, and I have conducted fieldwork in the United States, Caribbean, Australia, and the Philippines. I capture specimens in nature and conduct locomotion trials using high-speed video in the field. In the lab, I use high-speed video techniques and force plates to study animal locomotion in more detail. Together, these approaches form a powerful toolbox for addressing the research questions of my lab.
1. Complex relationships between phenotype and function
2. The role of abiotic and biotic context in affecting phenotype-function relationships
3. The convergent evolution and diversification of snake-like body forms.
My research informs my teaching, and I am delighted to be teaching the following courses:
- Comparative & Human Anatomy (Biol 111) – A detailed lab course that teaches dissection and analysis of vertebrate functional system. Offered most spring semesters.
- Herpetology (Biol 119) – A lab course that focuses on the diversity and evolution of amphibians and reptiles, complete with field trips and student presentations. Offered alternating fall semesters.
- Advanced Biostatistics (Biol 206/306) – A course for undergraduate and graduate students, taught using R. Students learn experimental design and working with real data. Offered alternating fall semesters.
- Animal Locomotion (Biol 233) – A research based course where students learn to quantify locomotion from high-speed video, test hypotheses, and present their results. Offered alternating spring semesters.
- Science Careers & Effective Practice (Biol 290/390) – A discussion based course for senior undergraduate and graduate students with research experience. We discuss how to be a successful scientist, how the scientific enterprise works, and careers in and outside of academia. Offered alternating spring semesters.Degrees
- Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2008
- M.S. in Systematics and Biogeography, University of Calgary, 2003
- B.S. in Ecology and Zoology, University of Calgary, 1999
Affiliated Department(s)
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Scholarly and Creative Works
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Many-to-many mapping: A simulation study of how the number of traits and tasks affect the evolution of form and function.
Published in Journal of Theoretical Biology
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2024
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Vol. 581
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Behavioral diversity and biomechanical determinants of the outcome of a fish predator-prey interaction.
Published in Journal of Zoology
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2023
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Vol. 321
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Multiple measures of structural racism as predictors of US county-level COVID-19 cases and deaths
Published in Ethnic and Racial Studies
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2022
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Vol. 46
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Issue #5
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County-level societal predictors of COVID-19 cases and deaths changed through time in the United States: A longitudinal ecological study.
Published in PLOS Global Public Health
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2022
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Vol. 2
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Performance and kinematic differences between terrestrial and aquatic running in Anolis sagrei.
Published in Integrative & Comparative Biology
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2022
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Vol. 62
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Coordinating tiny limbs and long bodies: Geometric mechanics of lizard terrestrial swimming.
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA
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2022
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Vol. 119
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How head shape and substrate particle size affect fossorial locomotion in lizards.
Published in Journal of Experimental Biology
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2021
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Vol. 224
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Linking ecomechanical models and functional traits to understand phenotypic diversity.
Published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution
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2021
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Vol. 36
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Locomotion and palaeoclimate explain the re-evolution of quadrupedal body form in Brachymeles lizards.
Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B
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2020
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Vol. 287
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Investigating cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurogenesis in the annelid Capitella teleta shed light on the ancestor of Annelida.
Published in BMC Evolutionary Biology
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2020
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Vol. 20
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Convergent evolution of elongate forms in craniates and of locomotion in elongate squamate reptiles.
Published in Integrative & Comparative Biology
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2020
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Vol. 60
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The evolution of fossorial locomotion in the transition from tetrapod to snake-like in lizards.
Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B
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2020
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Vol. 287
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Angles and waves: Intervertebral joint angles and axial kinematics of limbed lizards, limbless lizards, and snakes.
Published in Zoology
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2019
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Vol. 134
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The convergent evolution of snake-like forms by divergent evolutionary pathways in squamate reptiles.
Published in Evolution
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2019
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Vol. 73
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Are there general laws for digit evolution in squamates? The loss and re-evolution of digits in a clade of fossorial lizards (Brachymeles, Scincinae).
Published in Journal of Morphology
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2018
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Vol. 279
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Convergent body shapes have evolved via deterministic and historically contingent pathways in Lerista lizards.
Published in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
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2017
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Vol. 121
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It’s just sand between the toes: How particle size and shape variation affect running performance and kinematics in a generalist lizard.
Published in Journal of Experimental Biology
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2017
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Vol. 220
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Thermal and moisture habitat preferences do not maximize jumping performance in frogs.
Published in Functional Ecology
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2016
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Vol. 30
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Many-to-many mapping of phenotype to performance: An extension of the F-matrix for studying functional complexity.
Published in Evolutionary Biology
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2014
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Vol. 41
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Vertebral evolution and the diversification of squamate reptiles.
Published in Evolution
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2012
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Vol. 66
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Alternate pathways of body shape evolution translate into common patterns of locomotor evolution in two clades of lizards.
Published in Evolution
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2010
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Vol. 64
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Directional evolution of stockiness co-evolves with ecology and locomotion in lizards.
Published in Evolution
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2009
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Vol. 63
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Awards & Grants
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Microbial Community, amphibian populations and water health in Worcester.
Clark University - Academic Innovation Fund
Jan. 3, 2022 - May. 31, 2023
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Grant Incentive Award
Clark University
Jan. 4, 2021 - May. 15, 2021
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How the evolution of vertebrae affects body form evolution in salamanders.
Clark University
Jun. 1, 2020 - May. 1, 2021
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Collaborative Research: Developmental & Functional Mechanisms of Complex Trait Re-evolution: Limb Loss & Gain in Skink Lizards
National Science Foundation
Aug. 1, 2014 - Jul. 31, 2019
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