Daniel Moen, Associate Professor
Macroevolution, phylogenetic comparative biology, morphology and performance, herpetology
Ph.D., 2012, Stony Brook University
Office: LSW 516/517
Email: daniel.moen@okstate.edu
Specific Interests
My research generally centers on studies of ecology and evolution using phylogenetic comparative biology. I conduct fieldwork, collect museum data, and use phylogenies as tools to address questions of diversification, phenotypic evolution, and community ecology, using amphibians and reptiles as study organisms. Three specific themes will be addressed in the lab: (1) the evolution of phenotypic and species diversity in communities of amphibians and reptiles (primarily frogs), using morphological, ecological, biogeographic, and phylogenetic data; (2) the evolution of the relationships among ecology, functional morphology, and performance (e.g. jumping, swimming) in frogs from around the world, based on data from museum specimens and fieldwork (both local and international); and (3) the development and use of phylogenetic, comparative, and statistical methods.
Selected Publications (full list here)
- Moen, D. S., E. Cabrera-Guzmán, I. W. Caviedes-Solis, E. González-Bernal, and A. R. Hanna. 2022. Phylogenetic analysis of adaptation in comparative physiology and biomechanics: overview and a case study of thermal physiology in treefrogs. Journal of Experimental Biology 225:jeb243292.
- Moen, D. S. 2022. Improving inference and avoiding over-interpretation of hidden-state diversification models: specialized plant breeding has no effect on diversification in frogs. Evolution 76:373–384.
- Moen, D. S., R. N. Ravelojaona, C. R. Hutter, and J. J. Wiens. 2021. Testing for adaptive radiation: a new approach applied to Madagascar frogs. Evolution 75:3008–3025.
- Kasoju, V. T., D. S. Moen, M. P. Ford, T. T. Ngo, and A. Santhanakrishnan. 2021. Interspecific variation in bristle number on forewings of tiny insects does not influence clap-and-fling aerodynamics. Journal of Experimental Biology 224:jeb239798.
- Mendoza, E., E. Azizi, and D. S. Moen. 2020. What explains vast differences in jumping power within a clade? Diversity, ecology, and evolution of anuran jumping power. Functional Ecology 34:1053–1063.
- Juarez, B. H., D. S. Moen, and D. C. Adams. 2020. A morphological method to approximate jumping performance in anurans for macroevolutionary studies. Evolutionary Biology 47:260–271.
- Moen, D. S. 2019. What determines the distinct morphology of species with a particular ecology? The roles of many-to-one mapping and trade-offs in the evolution of frog ecomorphology and performance. American Naturalist 194:E81–E95.