John A Moretti

I study changes in vertebrate community composition over the past 3-5 million years in western North America. With a primary focus on the Quaternary, my research occurs at the nexus between vertebrate paleontology, zooarchaeology, and conservation biology. My work involves developing records of biodiversity and biogeography across time in order to examine patterns and processes of faunal change. I am particularly interested in the relationships between taxonomy, morphology, and the resolution of the fossil record. Much of my research explores morphological variation and the role that variation plays in influencing our taxonomic decisions and the classification of fossil remains. My research stems from my active fieldwork efforts and existing, historical collections.