RICHARD D. HOWARD

      In general, my research concerns adaptation and combines the fields of animal behavior, ecology, and evolution. My studies begin by identifying some interesting phenomenon and then asking both why and how it exists. As a result, I concentrate explicitly on the interactions between ultimate (or evolutionary) and proximate (or mechanistic) explanations. My current projects include both basic scientific approaches (the study on vocalization behavior in American toads and the study on the ontogeny of sexual dimorphism in tiger salamanders) and a blend of basic and applied scientific approaches (the study on ecological risk assessment and genetically modified organisms). My graduate students all work on their own, independently derived research projects.