University of Minnesota
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
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Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

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Andrew M. Simons

FWCB-faculty-simonsimgAssociate Professor, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
Curator of Fishes, Amphibians, and Reptiles, Bell Museum of Natural History
E-mail: asimons@umn.edu
Ph.D. The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

Fields of Interest

North American freshwater fish systematics, theory and practice of phylogenetic systematics using morphological and molecular data, evolution of complex morphological character systems.

Bell Museum Fish Collection
Bell Museum Amphibian and Reptile Collection

Courses

Research

My research focuses on reconstructing phylogenetic relationships of North American fishes. A phylogenetic hypothesis provides a historical framework for investigating hypotheses of speciation and adaptation and has proven to be critical in many evolutionary studies. I am particularly interested in relationships of minnows and carps (family Cyprinidae), one of the largest families of fishes. These fishes are very diverse and occur in a wide range of freshwater environments, from hot springs to large rivers. Much of my work has utilized mitochondrial DNA sequences to recover the pattern of relationships among North American cyprinid genera. I am also interested in using phylogeographic techniques to understand speciation and dispersal of Central Highlands fishes. Future research involves integrating mitochondrial sequences with nuclear sequences and morphological characters, using these data to explore the evolution of morphology, behavior, and biogeography of these fishes. I am particularly interested in utilizing phylogenies to investigate the evolution of complex trophic morphological characters and historical constraints that act on trophic shifts in fishes.

Recent Publications