Kathleen S. Cole
Ph.D. University of Alberta, 1982
Assistant Professor
Department of Zoology
University of Hawaii at Manoa
2538 McCarthy Mall, Edmonson 152 Honolulu, HI 96822
colek@hawaii.edu
phone: (808) 956-8618
fax: (808)956-9812

Evolution of behavior, morphology and developmental biology in marine fishes
My interests focus on the evolution of behavioral, morphological and developmental processes among vertebrates, with a concentrated interest in reef fishes. My research program currently encompasses all three. In the area of behavior, I'm currently engaged in a broad-based study on the evolution of reproductive and sexual patterns in tropical marine fish taxa, in the context of behavioral, ecological and life history factors. My morphological interests are centered on comparative gonad morphology among functionally hermaphroditic fish species, and the application of gonad characters to elucidate underlying phylogenetic relationships.

My developmental interests focus on larval development in marine fishes, particularly in the areas of skeletal and nervous system development. Presently, I am carrying out two focused studies, including: the effect of loading, through swimming action, on rates of ossification in newly metamorphosed fish larvae; and the effect of modeled microgravity, using a ground-based analogue, on the development of the skeletal and nervous systems in a small, mangrove fish, Rivulus marmoratus. In addition, I am also carrying out a study of temporal patterns of larval fish community composition, a project that has been ongoing in Belize for three years.

Representative publications
K.S. Cole. 2003. Hermaphroditic characteristics of gonad morphology and inferences regarding reproductive biology in Caracanthus (Teleostei, Scorpaeniformes). Copeia 2003 (1):68-80.

C. Thacker and K.S.Cole. 2002. Phylogeny and evolution of the gobiid genus Coryphopterus. Bulletin of Marine Science 70(3): 837-850.

K.S. Cole. 2002. Gonad morphology, sexual development and colony composition in the obligate coral-dwelling damselfish Dascyllus aruanus. Marine Biology 140: 151-163

K.S. Cole and D.F. Hoese. 2001. Gonad morphology, colony demography and evidence for hermaphroditism in Gobiodon okinawae (Teleostei, Gobiidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes. 61:161-173

K.S. Cole and A.C. Gill. 2000. Specialization of the urinary bladder in two pseudoplesiopines (Teleostei: Pseudochromidae). Copeia 2000 (4): 1083-1089.

K.S. Cole and D.L.G. Noakes. 1997. Gonadal development and sexual allocation in mangrove killifish, Rivulus marmoratus (Pisces: Atherinomorpha). Copeia 1997 (3): 596-600.

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