Ghedotti Information
Publications
Pictures of His Dogs

Evolution at Regis

Links to Regis Site
Biology Department
Pre-Medicine/Health Sci.
Regis University

This site is meant to provide general information about myself for students and visitors and to provide useful links for students in my courses.

Contact Information

225 Pomponio Science Center (Building)
Department of Biology
Regis University, D-8
3333 Regis Boulevard
Denver, Colorado 80221

Phone: (303) 458-4091
e-mail: mghedott@regis.edu

 

Courses in Current Course Rotation

BL 262/263 Principles of Biology: Organismic & Lab. (every Fall)
BL 406/407 Human and Comparative Anatomy & Lab. (every Spring)
BL 494 Seminar in Biol., Society, and Ethics (every Spring & some Falls)
CCS 300 Sophomore Seminar: Immigration and America (every Fall)
CCS 300H Honors Soph. Seminar: Chaos and Order (every Spring)

Courses Taught Occasionally

BL 204P/205P Topics in Biol.: Human Biology
BL 261 Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory
BL 410 Aquatic & Fisheries Ecology
BL 495 Seminar in Biological Research

Courses Taught Previously

BL 204/205 Topics in Biol.: Animal Behavior (taught once)
BL 204/205 Topics in Biol.: Biodiversity & Endangered Species (taught once)
BL 412/413 Developmental Biology (taught twice)
BL 445/446 Ichthyology & Fish Ecology (taught twice)
CCS 200 Freshman Writing Seminar (taught twice)

Education

Ph.D. University of Kansas (Biology: Systematics and Ecology), 1998
B.S. University of Michigan (Biology), 1992

Research Interests

My primary areas of interest are the systematics of fishes (especially cyprinodontiform fishes), the anatomy and morphogenesis of fishes (again... especially cyprinodontiform fishes), and the natural history and conservation of freshwater biodiversity in the western hemisphere.

The fishes commonly referred to as topminnows, killifishes, and "livebearers" comprise the Order Cyprinodontiformes. Approximately one third of the species in this order are viviparous ("livebearing") and give birth to free swimming young rather than laying eggs. My past work on the systematics of this group has included species descriptions of members of the genus Jenynsia and phylogenetic analyses of the starhead topminnows (Fundulus nottii group) using cytochrome b mitochondrial gene sequence data, the studfish clade (Fundulus subgenus Xenisma) using morphological data, the family Anablepidae using morphological data, and the superfamily Poecilioidea using morphological data. The latter study strongly suggested that the facultatively viviparous Tomeurus gracilis was not a living representative of an intermediate reproductive condition leading to the "advanced" viviparity seen in other poeciliines, rather it exhibits a newly acquired reproductive mode.

Currently, I am finishing up a taxonomic and systematic re-evaluation of the North American family Fundulidae using morphological data. I am also working on a phylogenetic study of the relationships among the families in the Suborder Cyprinodontoidei using morphological and molecular data with T. Hrbek (University of Puerto Rico) and D. Brym (Regis). In addition I am working on an exploration of the evolution of ovarian morphology in Poeciliids with D. Reznick (University of California, Riverside) and K. S. Bigelow (Regis).

My other past work has included work on the appropriate relationship of recognized frequencies of modes of speciation to practical conservation units, pedagogy in Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, and a survey of crayfish distribution in Kansas.

See Publications List. 

 

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08/30/08