Karen Osborn

kjosborn AT ucsd.edu

 

Research Interests

I am an invertebrate phylogeneticist interested in pelagic evolution. We've studied evolutionary processes in terrestrial and nearshore environments but very little in the deep sea or open ocean. By tracing the evolutionary history of invertebrate groups that contain pelagic (living in the water column instead of on the sea floor) species, I can ask questions about how features now associated with pelagic habit have evolved. I consider functional morphology, behavior, and ecology when examining the evolution of a group. I am particularly interested in features associated with maintaining position in the water column, locomotion, and feeding because these are essential to survival in this habitat.

Studying deep-sea and pelagic animals is always exciting because many of the animals found have never been formally named or described. It also provides me with opportunities to use submersibles or remotely operated vehicles to observe and collect the delicate animals I study.

My research currently concentrates on the evolution of groups such as:

• Munnopsid Isopods

• Flabelligerid Polychaetes

Publications

Osborn, K.J., G.W. Rouse, S.K. Goffredi, and B.H. Robison. 2007. Description and relationships of an unusual pelagic polychaete Chaetopterus pugapocinus (Annelida, Chaetopteridae). The Biological Bulletin. 212: 40-54.

Collins, A.G., B. Bentlage, G.I. Matsumoto, S.H.D. Haddock, K.J. Osborn, and B. Schierwater. 2006. Solution to the phylogenetic enigma of Tetraplatia, a worm-shaped cnidarian. Biology Letters. 2: 120-124.