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Donald Buth

Professor

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

LS 1335
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Research Interests

Systematics and evolution of reptiles and cypriniform, gasterosteiform, and perciform fishes
Research and development of enzymatic technology and phylogenetic treatment of electrophoretic data

My research and that of my students deal with the systematics of lower vertebrates, especially fishes. These studies address problems of phylogenetic relationship at a variety of organizational levels; alpha (species limits and recognition), beta (interspecific relationships), and gamma (intraspecific relationships and population phenomena). To test hypotheses of relationship, multiple data bases are often employed. Given their information potential and cost of resolution, allozyme and morphometric/meristic data are most commonly used in my laboratory. Facilities for osteological and karyological work are also available. Cladistic analyses of these data are conducted using both PC and mainframe computers.

My current studies involve cypriniform, gasterosteiform, and perciform fishes. Planned and ongoing studies of my students involve cypriniform, scorpaeniform, perciform, and elasmobranch fishes. Most of these studies deal with the North American ichthyofauna.