McGowen, Michael

Research Scientist and Curator of Marine Mammals

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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

ERC Postdoctoral Research Assistant, London University 2016 - 2017
Royal Society Newton International Fellow, The Royal Society 2014 - 2016

Background And Education

Education And Training

Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside 2010
M.S. in Biology, San Diego State University 2005
B.A. in Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley 1999

Research And Grants

Investigator On

Publications

Selected Publications

Article
- 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) 2124. 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
- McGowen, Michael R. 2015. [Book review] "A whale of a tale." Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 30, (6), 303–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2015.04.001. 2015

McGowen, Michael

Research Scientist and Curator of Marine Mammals

McGowen, Michael

Research Scientist and Curator of Marine Mammals

Positions

Background And Education

Education And Training

Research And Grants

Investigator On

Publications

Selected Publications

Article

Chapter

Dataset

Review

Activities

Responsible Collections Areas

Affiliation

Member Of

Contact

Location