Thomas P. Eiting
PhD Candidate
B.S., University of Texas Austin, 2004
M.S., University of Michigan 2006
Research Interests
In general, my main interests lie in understanding the evolution of form and function in mammals. Bats make an excellent group to study the form-function relationship among mammals because they are species-rich and they are morphologically and ecologically diverse. In particular, I am interested in the morphology and functional demands of the nasal passages of bats. Like most other mammals, the bat nose serves important respiratory and olfactory functions. Unlike other mammals, however, several groups of bats also transmit high-frequency echolocation calls through their noses. This novel function likely has morphological and functional demands on the internal passages of the nose. Using anatomical data, computational fluid dynamics, and phylogenetic comparative methods, my research focuses on testing ideas regarding morphological optimization and functional trade-offs in the nasal passages of bats.
Publications
Santana SE, Dial TO, Eiting TP, Alfaro ME (2011) Roosting Ecology and the Evolution of Pelage Markings in Bats. PLoS ONE 6(10): e25845. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025845
Reinholt, L.E., Burrows, A.M., Eiting, T.P., Dumont, E.R., Smith, T.D. (2009) Brief Communication: Histology and micro CT as methods for assessment of facial suture patency. American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
Wood, A.R., Zelditch, M.L., Rountrey, A.N., Eiting, T.P., Sheets, H.D., Gingerich, P.D. (2007). Multivariate stasis in the dental morphology of the Paleocene-Eocene condylarth Ectocion. Paleobiology 33(2):248-260.
Eiting, T.P., Smith, G.R. (2007). Miocene Salmon (Oncorhynchus) from Western North America: Gill Raker evolution correlated with plankton productivity in the Eastern Pacific. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 249(3/4):412-424.
Rowe, T., Eiting, T., Macrini, T., Ketcham, R. (2005). Organization of the olfactory and respiratory skeleton in the nose of the gray short-tailed opossum Monodelphis domestica. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 12(3/4):303-336.