Sam Borstein

Courses

pending

Research Interests

I am interested in the patterns and processes that underlie adaptive diversification in the most diverse group of vertebrates—fishes. I test hypotheses regarding adaptive radiation, the evolution of diet, and the impact of traits considered key innovations (such as pharyngeal jaws, stomachs, etc.) on ecological and lineage diversification. I address research questions with a variety of approaches, including phylogenetic comparative methods, micro-computed tomography (microCT), genomics, field work, construction of large ecological databases, and high-speed videography. 

Selected Publications

Kolmann MA, Nagesan RS, Andrews JV, Borstein S, Figueroa RT, Singer R, Friedman M, and Lopez-Fernandez H. 2023. DiceCT for Fishes: Recommendations for pairing iodine contrast agents with muCT to visualize soft tissues in fishes. J Fish Biol. 10.1111/jfb.15320

Borstein SR, Lucanus O, Gajapersad K, Singer RA, Mol J, and Lopez-Fernandez H. 2022. Fish Diversity of the Upper Tapanahony River, Suriname. Misc Publ Mus Zool Univ Michigan 211:1-19.

McGee MD*, Borstein SR*, Meier JI, Marques DA, Mwaiko S, Taabu A, Kishe-Machumu MA, O'Meara BC, Bruggmann R, Excoffier L, and Seehausen O. 2020. The ecological and genomic basis of explosive adaptive radiation. Nature 586:75-79. 10.1038/s41586-020-2652-7

Borstein SR. 2020. dietr: an R package for calculating fractional trophic levels from quantitative and qualitative diet data. Hydrobiologia 847:4285-4294. 10.1007/s10750-020-04417-5

Borstein SR, Fordyce JA, O'Meara BC, Wainwright PC, and McGee MD. 2019. Reef fish functional traits evolve fastest at trophic extremes. Nature Ecology & Evolution 3:191-199. 10.1038/s41559-018-0725-x 

Complete list at: Google Scholar

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