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James M. Cheverud

URL: http://news-info.wustl.edu/sb/page/normal/513.html

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Neil Schoenherr
News Writer; Assoc. Record Editor
nschoenherr@wustl.edu
(314) 935-5235

Professor of Physical Anthropology in Arts and Sciences

Expertise: quantitative genetics, evolutionary theory, human genetics, human and nonhuman primate biology, genetics, obesity, evolution, diabetes, morphology, maternal effects, kin selection, somatic growth, brain surface morphology, New World Monkey species, craniofacial growth, pleiotropic, manifold

Bio: Cheverud's research centers on evolutionary quantitative genetics and morphology. The research in quantitative genetics concerns the developmental and genetic constraints imposed on the rate and direction of evolution by heritable variation patterns and the evolution of genetic variation patterns themselves. Current and planned future projects in this area involve both empirical and theoretical studies of the evolution of genetic correlations; maternal effects and kin selection; the genetics of somatic growth; the inheritance of brain surface morphology, and the heritability, genetic correlation and evolution of primate craniofacial morphology. He is currently studying the morphological genetics and systematics of New World Monkey species, specifically tamarins and marmosets. This study involves the reconstruction of selection acting on craniofacial morphology. The tamarins and marmosets include several endangered species, and we are developing a quantitative genetic approach to captive population genetic surveys and management.

WUSTL Contact Information:
Work:(314) 362-4188
E-mail:cheverud@wustl.edu
Address:Campus Box 8108
660 South Euclid
St. Louis, MO 

Education:


Clips:

Showing 2 Clips.
Are humans still evolving?
Science Magazine

July 8, 2005 -- Michael Balter writes about various views on the question: are humans still evolving?
WUSTL professor of anatomy James Cheverud and a South African colleague say even very early evolutionary changes in the hominid line were not necessarily due to natural selection. They analyzed hominid faces over time, using formulas that model natural selection as well as random genetic drift, in which some traits or alleles become more common simply through chance.


Fossils reveal human drift to 'beauty'
The Japan Times (Japan)

Jan. 14, 2005 -- How did human diversity evolve? Natural selection is the traditional answer. But it is not the only one, as archaeologists discovered at the end of last year. WUSTL archaeologist James Cheverud and South African colleague Rebecca Ackermann suggest that while natural selection may select for or against some mutation, diversity which is produced through genetic drift has no adaptive advantage. What this means is that as human culture and technology developed, we became sheltered from the raw strength of natural selection. And with the relaxing of natural selection, facial diversity was free to increase.



Additional Background: My laboratory has also been involved in studying both human and non-human primate craniofacial growth using advanced morphometric and data acquisition techniques, such as finite element scaling and three-dimensional reconstructions from CT scans. We have been studying artificially deformed human crania in order to understand the interrelationship of facial and neural growth.

We are also beginning an experimental study of the genetics of somatic growth, body composition, and morphology in mice. This study involves mapping the chromosomal locations of single genes with minor effects on growth and morphology using a combination of molecular and quantitative genetic techniques. We are particularly interested in pleiotropic, or manifold, effects of genes.

My major teaching effort is in Human Gross Anatomy in the School of Medicine. I also periodically teach a course in quantitative genetics and evolution.

Courses:

Comparative Primate Anatomy, Evolutionary Genetics, Principles of Human Anatomy and Development

Selected Publications:

Cheverud, J.M., L.A.P. Kohn, L. Konigsberg and S. Leigh

1992 The effects of fronto-occipital artificial cranial vault modification on the cranial base and face. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 88: 323-346.

(with E.J. Routman and D.K. Irschick)

1996 Quantitative genetic analysis of cranial morphology in the cotton-top (Saguinus oedipus) and saddle-back (S. fuscicollis) tamarins. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 9: 5-42.

Cheverud, J.M., E.J. Routman and D.K. Irschick

1997 Pleiotropic effects of individual gene loci on mandibular morphology. Evolution 51: 2004-2014.

Cheverud, J.M., L.J. Leamy and E.J. Routman

1998 Quantitative trait loci for fluctuating asymmetry of quasi-continuous skeletal characters in mice. Heredity 80: 509-518.

Cheverud, J.M., S.J. Cropp and A. Larson

1999 Historical biogeography of the tamarins, Genus Saguinus: The molecular phylogenetic evidence. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, (in press).


Related Information


Related Links:
•Department of Anthropology Web site (http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~anthro)
•Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology Web site (http://thalamus.wustl.edu/)
•Cheverud's Web page (http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~anthro/blurb/b_chever.html)

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