Mentors: Dr. Mercer R. Brugler (Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Invertebrate Zoology) and Dr. Estefania Rodriguez (Assistant Curator, Division of Invertebrate Zoology)

 

No molecular experience is necessary! One lucky REU intern will

quickly learn how to extract and sequence the DNA of actiniarians (sea

anemones) collected from unique deep-sea environments. The student will

then participate in an ongoing project that utilizes novel nuclear DNA

markers to reconstruct evolutionary relationships and define species

boundaries within the order Actiniaria. The student will sequence at least

one complete mitochondrial genome, thereby learning about the genes

encoded in the circular molecule as well as the unique genomic trends that

define anthozoan (corals, anemones, zoanthids and corallimorphs)

mitochondrial DNA.

 

 

Mentors: Dr. Ronald Clouse ((Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Invertebrate Zoology) and Dr. Ward Wheeler (Curator, Division of Invertebrate Zoology)

 

We use molecular phylogenetics to discover relationships among poorly

known organisms (certain lesser known arachnids and ant species complexes)

and reconstruct their histories of movement.  We focus primarily on the

Indo-Pacific, a complex region composed of many islands and continental

landmasses that have experienced a wide array of historical climate

changes, human movements, and ocean currents.  Some of our study organisms

have histories stretching back to the Paleozoic, and others have moved and

speciated in the region only recently.  Participants will have

opportunities to engage in the production of data through Sanger

sequencing and cloning, manage and format data for phylogenetic and

biogeographic analysis, and interpret analysis outputs.

 

Mentor: Dr. Joel Cracraft (Curator, Department of Ornithology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology) and Dr. Santiago Claramunt (Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Ornithology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology

What have been the large-scale patterns of morphological evolution in birds? How have major changes in the morphological "space" occupied by birds changed across the avian tree over time and has morphological evolution been constrained within and among major groups? How are molecular and morphological evolution coupled or decoupled with respect to rate? You will develop a multivariate data set for avian size and shape, investigate morphological patterns across birds, and integrate these findings with large-scale molecular phylogenies. The successful applicant will have a general understanding of vertebrate morphology, and, ideally, will have some quantitative background.

 

 

Mentor: Dr. Rob Desalle (Curator, Division of Invertebrate Zoology)

 

The intern will learn various script writing skills to manage and analyze

a large database for genomes of fungi.  The project will eventually be

used to decipher the function of genes in the genomes of fungi.  The

intern should have some skills with computers and script writing.

 

 

Mentor: Dr. Eunsoo Kim (Assistant Curator, Division of Invertebrate Zoology)

 

Oceans are teeming with life – but most of it isn’t swimming around with fins in schools. The project for the summer student in the Kim lab is to explore the diversity of single-celled protists in subsurface and deep marine samples collected from the AMNH’s sea expeditions. The selected intern will 1) construct 16S/18S rDNA PCR libraries from size-fractionated environmental samples, 2) analyze sequence data, and 3) perform targeted PCR to survey novel sequence types in a variety of marine samples.

 

Mentors: Dr. Neil Landman (Curator, Division of Paleontology), Dr. George Barrowclough (Associate Curator, Department of Ornithology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology) and Dr. Jeff Groth (Manager, Cullman Molecular Laboratories, Division of Vertebrate Zoology)

 

The Pearly Nautilus is the last surviving externally shelled cephalopod on our planet. As such, it is generally regarded as a living fossil, but recent molecular evidence suggests that Nautilus is experiencing an evolutionary radiation in the Indo-Pacific. At the same time, it is facing threats to its survival because of an increasing demand for its shell in the international market. In this project, we will sequence, annotate, and document the extent of genetic diversity among the complete mitochondrial genomes of several species of Nautilus. This will shed light on the evolutionary history of this charismatic organism and address questions about its conservation biology.

 

 

Mentors: Dr. John G. Maisey (Curator, Vertebrate Paleontology), Dr. Amy Balanoff (Postdoctoral Fellow, Vertebrate Paleontology)

 

The internal structure of the braincase (including the brain cavity and spaces aurrounding the inner ear) is to be investigated in several genera of modern lamniform sharks, using CT scanning and digital segmentation techniques.   Information gathered will be incorporated into a morphological database for modern elasmobranch fishes being developed at AMNH with support from NSF.   

 

 

Mentor: Dr. Mark Siddall (Curator, Division of Invertebrate Zoology)

 

The family Haemadipsidae has traditionally included those infamous terrestrial leeches known as "vampires of the jungles upon such men and beasts [that]_ venture to trespass upon their well guarded domains." Unlike most families of leeches, haemadipsids are unique with an unusual zoogeographic distribution in landmasses associated with the southern super-continent Gondwana (Madagascar, India, Australia, Oceana; not Africa) and landmasses associated with the post-Gondwanan break-up (Indian subcontinent below the Himalayas, Sino-Japanese and Bornean regions) where "they swarm in myriads in every wood it is impossible to take a single step without being attacked they are on every bush and tree, from which they drop on the head and neck of the passer-by" (Haekel, 1883 - A Visit to Ceylon). The selected student will engage with these beasts through the summer, dissecting and characterizing their morphological and DNA diversity toward the description of several new species.

 

 

Mentor: Dr. Melanie Stiassny (Curator, Department of Ichthyology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology)

 

The spectacular and poorly known location of the Lower Congo River and the biological richness it harbors, combined with the growing threats to the region make this a compelling focus for scientific exploration and inventory in Africa. In the study region the Congo River is punctuated by some of the most spectacular rapids on Earth and the extraordinary hydrology of the river represents a model system for exploring underlying patterns of fish species richness and endemism. An ongoing survey and inventory of fishes in the region has yielded large collections of specimens and tissues, which combined with the latest developments in remote sensing technology, allow us to investigate the evolutionary history and ecological interactions of aquatic organisms in the river as well as providing critical biodiversity data for conservation planning and global freshwater biodiversity assessments throughout the Congo basin. 

An REU student will craft a research project within the framework of program. Work will involve morphological and/or molecular analysis at the population and species level for selected taxa collected from localities along the main channel of the Lower and Middle Congo River. GIS mapping and tools will augment the study and provide a geographic context for understanding the role of rapids, runs and deep water canyons in structuring fish populations.''

 

 

Mentors: Dr. Eleanor Sterling (Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation) & Erin Betley (Biodiversity Specialist, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation)

 

Since 2005, the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC) at the American Museum of Natural History has studied various aspects of the ecology, population distribution and abundance, movement patterns, threats and health status of federally listed sea turtle species at the Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. The student will learn to use sophisticated image processing software to build 3D models of green sea turtles using digital photographs from the field. Depending on how quickly models are completed, the student will then work with CBC scientists to analyze these models using geometric morphometrics to determine if there are morphological subgroups within the turtle populations at Palmyra Atoll. This information, as part of a broader research and conservation program, will be used for management planning and conservation recommendations for threatened green sea turtle populations in Palmyra and in other areas of the Pacific.

 

We seek a student with strong communication, organizational, and computer skills, and ability to manage significant quantities of data and synthesize information. The student should also be capable of working independently under the guidance of project mentors.

 

 

Mentors:  Dr. Paul Velazco (Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology) and Dr. Nancy Simmons (Curator, Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology)

 

Bats (Order Chiroptera) represent one of the remarkable success stories of mammalian evolution. Nearly worldwide in distribution, there are >1200 extant species and >400 bat species known from the fossil record. In many island habitats, particularly in the Caribbean, bats comprise the majority of the mammalian fauna.  Comparisons of fossil bat faunas to those living in the same area today offer a means of evaluating evolutionary and climate/habitat changes over time.  A new collection of fossil bats from Pleistocene/Holocene cave deposits in the Dominican Republic represents the first record of bat fossils from the country.  Over 200 specimens, mostly skulls and limb bones, are available for study.  This summer's project will be to process this collection, identify the species in the fossil fauna, and compare the fossil bats to living taxa to determine their degree of variation from extant bats.  The intern will participate in all aspects of the research including preparing a manuscript describing this new bat fauna for publication.