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McGowen, Michael
Research Scientist and Curator of Marine Mammals
Evolution and systematics of marine mammals, especially cetaceans
Genomics and molecular evolution of marine mammals
Combining morphology and molecules to investigate diversity through time
Museum specimens as genetic resources
Positions
Selected Publications
Article
Becker, Madeleine A., Murphy, Katherine R., Archer, Frederick I., Jefferson, Thomas A., Keith‐Diagne, Lucy W., Potter, Charles W., Urrutia‐Osorio, M. Fernanda, Ndong, Ibrahima, and McGowen, Michael R. 2024. "Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis ) mitochondrial genomes from Senegal reveal geographic structure across the North Atlantic but provide no support for global long‐beaked clade ." Marine Mammal Science , https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13144 .
2024
Ekdale, Eric G., El Adli, Joseph J., McGowen, Michael R., Deméré, Thomas A., Lanzetti, Agnese, Berta, Annalisa, Springer, Mark S., Boessenecker, Robert W., and Gatesy, John. 2024. "Lateral palatal foramina are not widespread in Artiodactyla and imply baleen in extinct mysticetes ." Scientific Reports , 14, (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60673-8 .
2024
Randall, Jason G., Gatesy, John, McGowen, Michael R., and Springer, Mark S. 2024. "Molecular Evidence for Relaxed Selection on the Enamel Genes of Toothed Whales (Odontoceti) with Degenerative Enamel Phenotypes ." Genes , 15, (2). https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15020228 .
2024
McGowen, Michael R., Caballero, Susana, Flores, Mary Faith C., Murphy, Katherine R., Archer, Frederick I., Ayyagari, Sam, Beasley, Isabel, Cohen, C. S., Dolar, M. L., Junchompoo, Chalatip, Kaewmong, Patcharaporn, Klinsawat, Worata, Kreb, Danielle, Kuit, Sui Hyang, Robertson, Kelly, Sabin, Richard, Sakornwimon, Watchara, Smith, Kerri J., Teoh, Zhi Yi, Budi, Trifan, Ponnampalam, Louisa S., and Hines, Ellen. 2024. "Range‐wide phylogeographic structure of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris ) using expanded sampling from contemporary and historical specimens ." Marine Mammal Science , https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13159 .
2024
Telizhenko, Valeriia, Kosiol, Carolin, McGowen, Michael R., and Gol'din, Pavel. 2024. "Relaxed selection in evolution of genes regulating limb development gives clue to variation in forelimb morphology of cetaceans and other mammals ." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , 291, (2032). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.1106 .
2024
Coombs, Ellen J., Knapp, Andrew, Park, Travis, Bennion, Rebecca F., McCurry, Matthew R., Lanzetti, Agnese, Boessenecker, Robert W., and McGowen, Michael R. 2023. "Drivers of morphological evolution in the toothed whale jaw ." Current Biology , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.056 .
2023
Vicari, Deborah, McGowen, Michael R., Lambert, Olivier, Brown, Richard P., Bianucci, Giovanni, Sabin, Richard C., and Meloro, Carlo. 2023. "Ecomorphology of toothed whales (Cetacea, Odontoceti) as revealed by 3D skull geometry ." Journal of Mammalian Evolution , 30, (2) 475–491. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-022-09642-4 .
2023
Hawkins, Melissa T. R., Flores, Mary Faith C., McGowen, Michael, and Hinckley, Arlo. 2022. "A comparative analysis of extraction protocol performance on degraded mammalian museum specimens ." Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution , 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.984056 .
2022
Speer, Kelly A., Hawkins, Melissa T. R., Flores, Mary Faith C., McGowen, Michael R., Fleischer, Robert C., Maldonado, Jesús E., Campana, Michael G., and Muletz-Wolz, Carly. 2022. "A comparative study of RNA yields from museum specimens, including an optimized protocol for extracting RNA from formalin-fixed specimens ." Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution , 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.953131 .
2022
Gatesy, John, Ekdale, Eric G., Demere, Thomas A., Lanzetti, Agnese, Randall, Jason, Berta, Annalisa, El Adli, Joseph J., Springer, Mark S., and McGowen, Michael R. 2022. "Anatomical, Ontogenetic, and Genomic Homologies Guide Reconstructions of the Teeth-to-Baleen Transition in Mysticete Whales ." Journal of Mammalian Evolution , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-022-09614-8 .
2022
Galatius, Anders, Svendsen, Michelle Strecker, Messer, Dolores, Valtonen, Mia, McGowen, Michael, Sabin, Richard, Dahl, Vedrana Andersen, Dahl, Anders Bjorholm, and Olsen, Morten Tange. 2022. "Range-wide variation in grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) skull morphology ." Zoology , 153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2022.126023 .
2022
Moura, Andre E., Shreves, Kypher, Pilot, Malgorzata, Andrews, Kimberly R., Moore, Daniel M., Kishida, Takushi, Moeller, Luciana, Natoli, Ada, Gaspari, Stefania, McGowen, Michael, Chen, Ing, Gray, Howard, Gore, Mauvis, Culloch, Ross M., Kiani, Muhammad S., Willson, Maia Sarrouf, Bulushi, Asma, Collins, Tim, Baldwin, Robert, Willson, Andrew, Minton, Gianna, Ponnampalam, Louisa, and Hoelzel, A. Rus. 2021. "Corrigendum to Phylogenomics of the genus Tursiops and closely related delphininae reveals extensive reticulation among lineages and provides inference about eco-evolutionary drivers (vol 146, 106756, 2020) ." Molecular phylogenetics and evolution , 157 107047–107047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2020.107047 .
2021
Springer, Mark S., Guerrero-Juarez, Christian F., Huelsmann, Matthias, Collin, Matthew A., Danil, Kerri, McGowen, Michael R., Oh, Ji Won, Ramos, Raul, Hiller, Michael, Plikus, Maksim V., and Gatesy, John. 2021. "Genomic and anatomical comparisons of skin support independent adaptation to life in water by cetaceans and hippos ." Current Biology , 31, (10) 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.02.057 .
2021
Nesi, Nicolas, Tsagkogeorga, Georgia, Tsang, Susan M., Nicolas, Violaine, Lalis, Aude, Scanlon, Annette T., Riesle-Sbarbaro, Silke A., Wiantoro, Sigit, Hitch, Alan T., Juste, Javier, Pinzari, Corinna A., Bonaccorso, Frank J., Todd, Christopher M., Lim, Burton K., Simmons, Nancy B., McGowen, Michael R., and Rossiter, Stephen J. 2021. "Interrogating Phylogenetic Discordance Resolves Deep Splits in the Rapid Radiation of Old World Fruit Bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) ." Systematic Biology , 70, (6) 1077–1089. https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syab013 .
2021
Carroll, Emma L., McGowen, Michael R., McCarthy, Morgan L., Marx, Felix G., Aguilar, Natacha, Dalebout, Merel L., Dreyer, Sascha, Gaggiotti, Oscar E., Hansen, Sabine S., van Helden, Anton, Onoufriou, Aubrie B., Baird, Robin W., Baker, C. Scott, Berrow, Simon, Cholewiak, Danielle, Claridge, Diane, Constantine, Rochelle, Davison, Nicholas J., Eira, Catarina, Fordyce, R. Ewan, Gatesy, John, Hofmeyr, G. J. Greg, Martin, Vidal, Mead, James G., Mignucci-Giannoni, Antonio A. et al. 2021. "Speciation in the deep: genomics and morphology reveal a new species of beaked whale Mesoplodon eueu ." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , 288, (1961). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.1213 .
2021
Zhang, Peijun, Zhao, Yong, Li, Chang, Lin, Mingli, Dong, Lijun, Zhang, Rui, Liu, Mingzhong, Li, Kuan, Zhang, He, Liu, Xiaochuan, Zhang, Yaolei, Yuan, Yuan, Liu, Huan, Seim, Inge, Sun, Shuai, Du, Xiao, Chang, Yue, Li, Feida, Liu, Shanshan, Lee, Simon Ming-Yuen, Wang, Kun, Wang, Ding, Wang, Xianyan, McGowen, Michael R., Jefferson, Thomas A. et al. 2020. "An Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin Genome Reveals Insights into Chromosome Evolution and the Demography of a Vulnerable Species ." Iscience , 23, (10) 101640–101640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101640 .
2020
Morin, Phillip A., Alexander, Alana, Blaxter, Mark, Caballero, Susana, Fedrigo, Olivier, Fontaine, Michael C., Foote, Andrew D., Kuraku, Shigehiro, Maloney, Brigid, McCarthy, Morgan L., McGowen, Michael R., Mountcastle, Jacquelyn, Nery, Mariana F., Olsen, Morten Tange, Rosel, Patricia E., and Jarvis, Erich D. 2020. "Building genomic infrastructure: Sequencing platinum-standard reference-quality genomes of all cetacean species ." Marine Mammal Science , 36, (4) 1356–1366. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12721 .
2020
Galatius, Anders, Racicot, Rachel, McGowen, Michael, and Olsen, Morten Tange. 2020. "Evolution and Diversification of Delphinid Skull Shapes ." Iscience , 23, (10) 101543–101543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101543 .
2020
Vu, Long, McGowen, Michael R., Potter, Charles W., Tho, Truong Anh, Hyang, Kuit Sui, Abdel-Raheem, Salma T., and Hines, Ellen. 2020. "New Records of Fraser's Dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei ) from the Whale Temples and Fishing Communities of Vietnam." Aquatic Mammals , 46, (4) 395–401. https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.46.4.2020.395 .
2020
McGowen, Michael R., Tsagkogeorga, Georgia, Álvarez-Carretero, Sandra, Dos Reis, Mario, Struebig, Monika, Deaville, Robert, Jepson, Paul D., Jarman, Simon, Polanowski, Andrea, Morin, Phillip A., and Rossiter, Stephen J. 2020. "Phylogenomic Resolution of the Cetacean Tree of Life Using Target Sequence Capture ." Systematic Biology , 69, (3) 479–501. https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syz068 .
2020
Moura, Andre E., Shreves, Kypher, Pilot, Małgorzata, Andrews, Kimberly R., Moore, Daniel M., Kishida, Takushi, Möller, Luciana, Natoli, Ada, Gaspari, Stefania, McGowen, Michael, Chen, Ing, Gray, Howard, Gore, Mauvis, Culloch, Ross M., Kiani, Muhammad S., Sarrouf Willson, Maia, Bulushi, Asma, Collins, Tim, Baldwin, Robert, Willson, Andrew, Minton, Gianna, Ponnampalam, Louisa, and Rus Hoelzel, A. 2020. "Phylogenomics of the genus Tursiops and closely related Delphininae reveals extensive reticulation among lineages and provides inference about eco-evolutionary drivers ." Molecular phylogenetics and evolution , 146 Article 106756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106756 .
2020
McGowen, Michael R., Tsagkogeorga, Georgia, Williamson, Joseph, Morin, Phillip A., and Rossiter, Stephen J. 2020. "Positive selection and inactivation in the vision and hearing genes of cetaceans ." Molecular biology and evolution , 37, (7) 2069–2083. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaa070 .
2020
McGowen, Michael R., Murphy, Katherine R., Ndong, Ibrahima, Potter, Charles W., and Keith-Diagne, Lucy. 2020. "The complete mitochondrial genome of the critically endangered Atlantic humpback dolphin, Sousa teuszii (Kükenthal, 1892) ." Mitochondrial DNA Part B. Resources , 5, (1) 257–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2019.1700196 .
2020
Weckle, A., McGowen, Michael R., Xing, J., Chen, C., Sterner, K. N., Hou, Z. C., Romero, R., and Wildman, D. E. 2017. "Ancestral resurrection of anthropoid estrogen receptor beta demonstrates functional consequences of positive selection ." Molecular phylogenetics and evolution , 117 2–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2017.09.007 .
2017
Armstrong, D. L., McGowen, Michael R., Weckle, A., Pantham, P., Caravas, J., Agnew, D., Benirschke, K., Savage-Rumbaugh, S., Nevo, E., Kim, C. J., Wagner, G. P., Romero, R., and Wildman, D. E. 2017. "The core transcriptome of mammalian placentas and the divergence of expression with placental shape ." Placenta , 57 71–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.placenta.2017.04.015 .
2017
Cammen, K. M., Andrews, K. R., Carroll, E. L., Foote, A. D., Humble, E., Khudyakov, J. I., Louis, M., McGowen, Michael R., Olsen, M. T., and Van Cise, A. M. 2016. "Genomic Methods Take the Plunge: Recent Advances in High-Throughput Sequencing of Marine Mammals." The Journal of heredity , 107, (6) 481–495. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esw044 .
2016
Lipovich, Leonard, Hou, Zhuo-Cheng, Jia, Hui, Sinkler, Christopher, McGowen, Michael R., Sterner, Kirstin N., Weckle, Amy, Sugalski, Amara B., Pipes, Lenore, Gatti, Domenico L., Mason, Christopher E., Sherwood, Chet C., Hof, Patrick R., Kuzawa, Christopher W., Grossman, Lawrence I., Goodman, Morris, and Wildman, Derek E. 2016. "High-throughput RNA sequencing reveals structural differences of orthologous brain-expressed genes between western lowland gorillas and humans: Gorilla-Human Brain Gene Structure Differences ." Journal of Comparative Neurology , 524, (2) 288–308. https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.23843 .
2016
Tsagkogeorga, G., McGowen, Michael R., Davies, K. T., Jarman, S., Polanowski, A., Bertelsen, M. F., and Rossiter, S. J. 2015. "A phylogenomic analysis of the role and timing of molecular adaptation in the aquatic transition of cetartiodactyl mammals." Royal Society open science , 2, (9) 150156. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.150156 .
2015
Fang, X., Nevo, E., Han, L., Levanon, E. Y., Zhao, J., Avivi, A., Larkin, D., Jiang, X., Feranchuk, S., Zhu, Y., Fishman, A., Feng, Y., Sher, N., Xiong, Z., Hankeln, T., Huang, Z., Gorbunova, V., Zhang, L., Zhao, W., Wildman, D. E., Xiong, Y., Gudkov, A., Zheng, Q., Rechavi, G., Liu, S. et al. 2015. "Corrigendum: Genome-wide adaptive complexes to underground stresses in blind mole rats Spalax." Nature communications , 6 8051. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9051 .
2015
Fang, X., Nevo, E., Han, L., Levanon, E. Y., Zhao, J., Avivi, A., Larkin, D., Jiang, X., Feranchuk, S., Zhu, Y., Fishman, A., Feng, Y., Sher, N., Xiong, Z., Hankeln, T., Huang, Z., Gorbunova, V., Zhang, L., Zhao, W., Wildman, D. E., Xiong, Y., Gudkov, A., Zheng, Q., Rechavi, G., Liu, S. et al. 2014. "Genome-wide adaptive complexes to underground stresses in blind mole rats Spalax." Nature communications , 5 3966. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4966 .
2014
McGowen, Michael R., Gatesy, J., and Wildman, D. E. 2014. "Molecular evolution tracks macroevolutionary transitions in Cetacea." Trends in Ecology and Evolution , 29, (6) 336–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2014.04.001 .
2014
McGowen, Michael R., Erez, O., Romero, R., and Wildman, D. E. 2014. "The evolution of embryo implantation." The International journal of developmental biology , 58, (2-4) 155–161. https://doi.org/10.1387/ijdb.140020dw .
2014
Gatesy, John, Geisler, Jonathan H., Chang, Joseph, Buell, Carl, Berta, Annalisa, Meredith, Robert W., Springer, Mark S., and McGowen, Michael R. 2013. "A phylogenetic blueprint for a modern whale ." Molecular phylogenetics and evolution , 66, (2) 479–506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2012.10.012 .
2013
Sterner, Kirstin N., McGowen, Michael R., Chugani, Harry T., Tarca, Adi L., Sherwood, Chet C., Hof, Patrick R., Kuzawa, Christopher W., Boddy, Amy M., Raaum, Ryan L., Weckle, Amy, Lipovich, Leonard, Grossman, Lawrence I., Uddin, Monica, Goodman, Morris, and Wildman, Derek E. 2013. "Characterization of human cortical gene expression in relation to glucose utilization: Age-Related Gene Expression in Cerebral Cortex ." American Journal of Human Biology , 25, (3) 418–430. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22394 .
2013
Stempfle, G., McGowen, Michael R., Caravas, J. A., and Wildman, D. E. 2013. "From PPROM to caul: The evolution of membrane rupture in mammals." Applied & translational genomics , 2 70–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atg.2013.08.002 .
2013
Montgomery, S. H., Geisler, J. H., McGowen, Michael R., Fox, C., Marino, L., and Gatesy, J. 2013. "The evolutionary history of cetacean brain and body size." Evolution , 67, (11) 3339–3353. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.12197 .
2013
Boddy, Amy M., McGowen, Michael R., Sherwood, Chet C., Grossman, Lawrence I., Goodman, Morris, and Wildman, Derek E. 2012. "Comparative analysis of encephalization in mammals reveals relaxed constraints on anthropoid primate and cetacean brain scaling: Encephalization and decephalization in mammals ." Journal of Evolutionary Biology , 25, (5) 981–994. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02491.x .
2012
McGowen, Michael R., Grossman, Lawrence I., and Wildman, Derek E. 2012. "Dolphin genome provides evidence for adaptive evolution of nervous system genes and a molecular rate slowdown ." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , 279, (1743) 3643–3651. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.0869 .
2012
Than, Nandor Gabor, Romero, Roberto, Kim, Chong Jai, McGowen, Michael R., Papp, Zoltan, and Wildman, Derek E. 2012. "Galectins: guardians of eutherian pregnancy at the maternal–fetal interface ." Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism , 23, (1) 23–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tem.2011.09.003 .
2012
Dornburg, Alex, Brandley, Matthew C., McGowen, Michael R., and Near, Thomas J. 2012. "Relaxed Clocks and Inferences of Heterogeneous Patterns of Nucleotide Substitution and Divergence Time Estimates across Whales and Dolphins (Mammalia: Cetacea) ." Molecular biology and evolution , 29, (2) 721–736. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msr228 .
2012
Geisler, Jonathan H., McGowen, Michael R., Yang, Guang, and Gatesy, John. 2011. "A supermatrix analysis of genomic, morphological, and paleontological data from crown Cetacea ." BMC Evolutionary Biology , 11, (1) 112. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-11-112 .
2011
McGowen, Michael R., Montgomery, Stephen H., Clark, Clay, and Gatesy, John. 2011. "Phylogeny and adaptive evolution of the brain-development gene microcephalin (MCPH1) in cetaceans ." BMC Evolutionary Biology , 11, (1) 98. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-11-98 .
2011
McGowen, Michael R. 2011. "Toward the resolution of an explosive radiation-A multilocus phylogeny of oceanic dolphins (Delphinidae) ." Molecular phylogenetics and evolution , 60, (3) 345–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2011.05.003 .
2011
McGowen, Michael R., Spaulding, Michelle, and Gatesy, John. 2009. "Divergence date estimation and a comprehensive molecular tree of extant cetaceans ." Molecular phylogenetics and evolution , 53, (3) 891–906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2009.08.018 .
2009
Ayoub, Nadia A., McGowen, Michael R., Clark, Clay, Springer, Mark S., and Gatesy, John. 2009. "Evolution and phylogenetic utility of the melanocortin-1 receptor gene (MC1R) in Cetartiodactyla ." Molecular phylogenetics and evolution , 52, (2) 550–557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2009.03.008 .
2009
Deméré, Thomas A., McGowen, Michael R., Berta, Annalisa, and Gatesy, John. 2008. "Morphological and Molecular Evidence for a Stepwise Evolutionary Transition from Teeth to Baleen in Mysticete Whales ." Systematic Biology , 57, (1) 15–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/10635150701884632 .
2008
McGowen, Michael R., Clark, Clay, and Gatesy, John. 2008. "The Vestigial Olfactory Receptor Subgenome of Odontocete Whales: Phylogenetic Congruence between Gene-Tree Reconciliation and Supermatrix Methods ." Systematic Biology , 57, (4) 574–590. https://doi.org/10.1080/10635150802304787 .
2008
Kim, Seung-Chul, McGowen, Michael R., Lubinsky, Pesach, Barber, Janet C., Mort, Mark E., and Santos-Guerra, Arnoldo. 2008. "Timing and Tempo of Early and Successive Adaptive Radiations in Macaronesia ." PLoS ONE , 3, (5) Article–e2139. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0002139 .
2008
Chapter
McGowen, Michael R., Agnew, Dalen, and Wildman, Derek E. 2013. "Reproduction and placentation in Neotropical carnivores." In Molecular population genetics, evolutionary biology, and biological conservation of neotropical carnivores . Ruiz-Garcia, Manuel and Shostell, Joseph M., editors. Nova Publishers: Hauppauge, New York.
2013
Dataset
Carroll, Emma L., McGowen, Michael R., McCarthy, Morgan L., Marx, Felix G., Aguilar De Soto, Natacha, Dalebout, Merel L., Dreyer, Sascha, Gaggiotti, Oscar E., Hansen, Sabine S., van Helden, Anton, Onoufriou, Aubrie B., Baird, Robin W., Baker, C. Scott, Berrow, Simon, Cholewiak, Danielle, Claridge, Diane, Constantine, Rochelle, Davison, Nicholas J., Eira, Catarina, Fordyce, R. Ewan, Gatesy, John, Hofmeyr, G. J. Greg, Martin, Vidal, Mead, James G., Mignucci-Giannoni, Antonio A. et al. 2021. [Dataset] Speciation in the abyss - genomics and morphology reveal a new species of beaked whale . Distributed by Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/DRYAD.WPZGMSBNQ .
2021
Review
Responsible Collections Areas
Marine Mammals (cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians)
