Ph.D. Student
erik.funk [at] colorado.edu
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Understanding species boundaries is a fundamental, but challenging, component of describing and comprehending the evolution of biodiversity. This comes, in part, from the fact that species can exhibit varying levels of genetic and phenotypic divergence. I am interested in the generation of population structure and the characterization of species boundaries, including the source of morphological variation in systems with low, or recent, genetic divergence. By using genomic techniques, I hope to better understand the degree of divergence between populations and species, including the geographic and evolutionary forces responsible for shaping biodiversity.
Select Publications
Funk ER, Spellman GM, Winker K, Withrow JJ, Ruegg K, Taylor SA. Accepted. The genetic basis of plumage coloration and elevation adaptation in a clade of recently diverged alpine and arctic songbirds. Evolution.
Funk, E. R., & Burns, K. J. (2018). Biogeographic origins of Darwin's finches (Thraupidae: Coerebinae). The Auk: Ornithological Advances, 135(3), 561-571.
Funk, E. R., Adams, A. N., Spotten, S. M., Van Hove, R. A., Whittington, K. T., Keepers, K. G., ... & Kane, N. C. (2018). The complete mitochondrial genomes of five lichenized fungi in the genus Usnea (Ascomycota: Parmeliaceae). Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 3(1), 305-308.
Funk, E. R., & Burns, K. J. (2018). Evolutionary distinctiveness and conservation priorities in a large radiation of songbirds. Animal Conservation.