Research

Studies of modern terrestrial ecosystems often highlight the importance of mammalian herbivores to both floral and faunal species assemblages and regional foodwebs. For much of the Earth’s history, however, the primary terrestrial herbivores were not mammals, but reptiles. Understanding the key morphological transitions that occurred in these non-mammalian herbivores, therefore, is important for our understanding of historical ecosystems. My own work seeks to understand the evolution of herbivory in non-mammalian herbivores by combining phylogenetic systematics with ecomorphological and tooth wear data. My work has focused on sauropod dinosaurs, particularly the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous diplodocoids and macronarians.