Our Lab
Dr. Andrew Conith. I am an evolutionary developmental biologist at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. Our lab uses a variety of approaches to illuminate how vertebrates have achieved such great taxonomic, trophic, and morphological diversity. The ultimate goal of our research is to gain a more holistic understanding of how genetic variation and developmental processes impact the vertebrate phenotype. To that end, we use teleost fishes as a major model organism, with a particular focus on the cichlid fishes of East Africa due to their near unparalleled taxonomic and morphological diversity.
Pic. A wall of Lake Malawi cichlids at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago.
Emily Rodriguez. DePaul Biological Sciences (MS, 2027). My research connects form, function, and behavior using the dentition of East African cichlid fishes. East African cichlids exhibit a diverse array of tooth morphologies that arose as populations radiated to fill vacant niches during the formation of the Rift Lakes. Cichlid diets are often tightly linked to tooth shape, with unicuspid, bicuspid, and tricuspid dentitions arising multiple times independently across cichlids. Variation in cichlid tooth shape is achieved via morphogens, signaling proteins that diffuse through cells and determine tissue shape and patterning. My thesis is focused on assessing how variation in tooth shape and tooth density across cichlids is genetically determined and how these differences impact feeding strategy. I am also interested in how enrichment can affect cichlid behavior.
Peter Zwarycz. DePaul Biological Sciences (MS, 2027). My research examines variation in the axial skeleton of cichlid fishes, and how their diet shapes the morphological diversity of this trait across the tree. Specifically, I am studying the developmental and evolutionary basis of a vertebral apophysis commonly found on the third vertebra. This novel bony vertebral outgrowth serves as an origin point for a muscle that inserts on the upper pharyngeal jaw and is thought to increase the efficiency of food processing. My research aims to provide some evolutionary and developmental context to a morphological novelty in a rapidly diversifying clade.
Sharon Dayan. DePaul Biological Sciences (UG, 2026). My research focuses on the impact of stevia leaf extract on TGF-β signaling in cichlid fishes. The development of the vertebrate skeleton is controlled by several signaling cascades, including the TGF-β and BMP pathways, which are essential for bone growth, remodeling and craniofacial patterning. Previous studies into cichlid fish jaw development highlighted a role for an inhibitor of TGF-β signaling, smad7. Recent work in mouse models showed how exposure to stevia leaf extract appears to alter the expression levels of several intermediate members of the TGF-β signaling cascade, including smad7. I am studying how perturbation of the TGF-β signaling cascade impacts cichlid development at the molecular and morphological levels to better understand what factors contribute to variation in their craniofacial anatomy.
