James Saulsbury

I’m interested in the evolution, ecology, and functional morphology of living and fossil marine invertebrates. My dissertation explores the fossil record, macroecology, and phylogeny of crinoids and seeks to unravel the deep-time origins of their modern biodiversity hotspot. This group of echinoderms is exemplary of the changes in marine ecosystems through deep time, and their rich fossil record provides an opportunity to link the ecological characteristics of living groups with their macroevolutionary trajectories. I also work on or have worked on the ecological and evolutionary controls on growth in bivalve mollusks, the physiology and internal anatomy of stem-group Paleozoic crinoids, and general issues relating to the distribution of marine biodiversity around the globe.