Colleen Farmer
Professor
Ph.D. Brown University
Graduate Program Membership:
Office/Building: Biol 107
Phone: 801-581-4236
Email: farmer@biology.utah.edu
Farmer Lab: http://farmer.biology.utah.edu/
Research Statement
Research in my lab aims to understand the evolutionary sequence of events involved in major vertebrate transitions, especially aspects of the evolution of the cardiopulmonary system and the transition from ectothermy to endothermy. We combine historical data with neontological studies and, occasionally, mathematical models to piece together scenarios for the acquisition of key vertebrate features.
Research Interests
General Interests
Specific Interests
- Vertebrate evolutionary physiology and functional morphology
- Evolution of the cardiopulmonary system and metabolism
- Evolution of parental care behaviors
Selected Publications
- Farmer, CG. 2016. Similarity of crocodilian and avian lungs indicates unidirectional flow is ancestral for archosaurs. Integrative and Comparative Biology 55 (6): 1-10.
- Farmer, C.G. 2016. A lizard that generates heat. Nature 529: 470-472.
- Farmer, C.G. 2016. Hot-blooded lizard illuminates endothermy origins. Journal of Experimental Biology 219: 908-911.
- Farmer, CG. 2015. The evolution of unidirectional pulmonary airflow. Physiology 30: 260-272.
- Cieri, R., Farmer, CG. 2015. Unidirectional pulmonary airflow in vertebrates: a review of structure, function, and evolution. Journal of Comparative Physiology B 186 (5): 541-552. PDF
Courses Taught
- Biol 5665: Paleophysiology