V. Louise Roth

Professor of Biology

Office: 
241 Bio Sci Bldg, Durham, NC 27708
Campus Box: 
Duke Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708-0338
Phone: 
(919) 660-7352
Email: 
vlroth@duke.edu
V. Louise Roth
In addition to conceptual work on the biological bases of homology, variation, and parallel evolution, my research has focused on evolutionary changes in size and shape in mammals: the functional consequences of these changes, and the evolutionary modifications of ontogenetic processes that produce them. This work makes use of DNA sequences, morphometric data, and geographic distributions to study macroevolutionary changes within a phylogenetic context. Projects have included DNA sequence phylogenies of squirrels, "virtual" (synchrotron radiation microCT) histology of bone growth in elephants and mammoths, experimental work on prenatal maternal effects on body size in large insular deermice, and morphometric studies of growth in elephants, dwarfism in an insular (Pleistocene) dwarf mammoth, and gigantism in insular deermice.

Education

  • Ph.D., Yale University 1982

  • M.Phil., Yale University 1978

  • B.S., Brown University 1975

Louise Roth, V., and J. M. Mercer. “Themes and variation in sciurid evolution.” In Evolution of the Rodents: Advances in Phylogeny, Functional Morphology and Development, 221–45, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107360150.009. Full Text

Roth, V. L. “Within and Between Organisms: Replicators, Lineages, and Homologues.” In Homology: The Hierarchical Basis of Comparative Biology, 301–37, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-057430-1.50015-9. Full Text

Roth, V. L. “Variation and versatility in macroevolution.” In Variation, a Central Concept in Biology, edited by B. HallgrÍmsson and B. K. Hall, 455–74. Academic Press, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012088777-4/50021-1. Full Text

Roth, V. L. “Character replication.” In The Character Concept in Evolutionary Biology, edited by G. P. Wagner, 81–107. Academic Press, 2001.

Roth, V. L. “Pleistocene dwarf elephants of the California Islands.” In The Proboscidea: Evolution and Palaeoecology of Elephants and Their Relatives, edited by J. Shoshani and P. Tassy, 249–53. Oxford University Press, 1996.

Todd, N. E., and V. L. Roth. “Origin and radiation of the Elephantidae.” In The Proboscidea: Evolution and Palaeoecology of Elephants and Their Relatives, edited by J. Shoshani and P. Tassy, 193–202. Oxford University Press, 1996.

Roth, V. L. “Within and between organisms: Replicators, lineages, and homologues.” In Homology: The Hierarchical Basis of Comparative Biology, edited by B. K. Hall, 310–37. Academic Press, 1994.

Agenbroad, L. D., A. M. Lister, D. Mol, and V. L. Roth. “Mammuthus primigenius remains from the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota.” In The Hot Springs Mammoth Site: A Decade of Field and Laboratory Research in Paleontology, Geology, and Paleoecology, edited by L. D. Agenbroad and J. I. Mead, 269–81. Hot Springs, SD: The Mammoth Site, 1994.

Roth, V. L. “Dwarfism and variability in the Santa Rosa island mammoth: An interspecific comparison of limb-bone sizes and shapes in elephants.” In Third California Islands Symposium: Recent Advances in Research on the California Islands, edited by F. G. Hochberg, 433–42. Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 1993.

Roth, V. L. “On three-dimensional morphometrics, and on the identification of landmark points.” In Advances in Morphometrics, edited by L. Marcus, E. Bello, and A. G. Valdecasas, 41–61. Madrid: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, 1993.

Pages

Roston, Rachel A., and V Louise Roth. “Cetacean Skull Telescoping Brings Evolution of Cranial Sutures into Focus.” Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) 302, no. 7 (July 2019): 1055–73. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24079. Full Text

Badgley, Catherine, Tara M. Smiley, Rebecca Terry, Edward B. Davis, Larisa R. G. DeSantis, David L. Fox, Samantha S. B. Hopkins, et al. “Biodiversity and Topographic Complexity: Modern and Geohistorical Perspectives.” Trends in Ecology & Evolution 32, no. 3 (March 2017): 211–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2016.12.010. Full Text

Hoehn, K. B., P. G. Harnik, and V. L. Roth. “A framework for detecting natural selection on traits above the species level.” Methods in Ecology and Evolution 7, no. 3 (March 1, 2016): 331–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12461. Full Text

Van Valkenburgh, B., M. W. Hayward, W. J. Ripple, C. Meloro, and V. L. Roth. “The impact of large terrestrial carnivores on Pleistocene ecosystems.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 113, no. 4 (2016): 862–67.

Durst, Paul A. P., and V Louise Roth. “Mainland size variation informs predictive models of exceptional insular body size change in rodents.” Proceedings. Biological Sciences 282, no. 1810 (July 2015). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.0239. Full Text Open Access Copy

Curtin, A. J., A. A. MacDowell, E. G. Schaible, and V. L. Roth. “Noninvasive histological comparison of bone growth patterns among fossil and extant neonatal elephantids using synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography.” Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32, no. 4 (July 1, 2012): 939–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2012.672388. Full Text

Price, Samantha A., Samantha S. B. Hopkins, Kathleen K. Smith, and V Louise Roth. “Tempo of trophic evolution and its impact on mammalian diversification.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109, no. 18 (May 2012): 7008–12. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1117133109. Full Text

Durst, Paul A. P., and V Louise Roth. “Classification tree methods provide a multifactorial approach to predicting insular body size evolution in rodents.” The American Naturalist 179, no. 4 (April 2012): 545–53. https://doi.org/10.1086/664611. Full Text

Chi, Kai-Jung, and V. Louise Roth. “Scaling and mechanics of carnivoran footpads reveal the principles of footpad design.” Journal of the Royal Society, Interface 7, no. 49 (August 2010): 1145–55. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2009.0556. Full Text

Siegel, Steven J., Caroline M. Percopo, Kimberly D. Dyer, Wei Zhao, V Louise Roth, John M. Mercer, and Helene F. Rosenberg. “RNase 1 genes from the family Sciuridae define a novel rodent ribonuclease cluster.” Mammalian Genome : Official Journal of the International Mammalian Genome Society 20, no. 11–12 (November 2009): 749–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00335-009-9215-4. Full Text

Pages

Roston, Rachel A., and V Louise Roth. “Different developmental transformations underly blowhole orientation in a toothed whale (Odontoceti: Stenella attenuata ) and a baleen whale (Mysticeti: Balaenoptera physalus ).” In The Faseb Journal, 34:1–1. Wiley, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.06553. Full Text

Roston, R. A., M. Yamato, and V. L. Roth. “Bone overlap (telescoping) and the role of the basicranium in reorientation of the nasal passage in cetacean skulls.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 57:E391–E391. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2017.

Durst, P. A., and V. L. Roth. “Examining factors influencing body size change for insular rodents.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 53:E59–E59, 2013.

Chi, K. -. J., D. Schmitt, and V. L. Roth. “Different functional mechanisms of foot-footpad complex for plantigrade and digitigrade mammals in the context of locomotion.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 49:E32–E32. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2009.

Chi, K. J., and V. L. Roth. “Scaling of foot contact area and its mechanical implications for mammals of different foot postures.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 44:535–535. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2004.

Roth, V. L. “Ecology and evolution of dwarfing in insular elephants.” edited by P. G. Cavarretta, M. Mussi, and M. R. Palombo, 507–9, 2001.

Roth, V. L. “Morphometrics in development and evolution.” In American Zoologist, 39:108A-108A. SOC INTEGRATIVE COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY, 1999.

ROTH, V., and M. DISHOP. “Evolutionary Relationships Among the Scriurdae - Analysis of Cranial Characters in Tree, ground, and Flying Squirrels.” In Journal of Morphology, 222:111–111, 1994.

Roth, V. L. “Macroecology of animal body size.” Bioscience (Bioone). Oxford University Press (OUP): Policy B, 2014.

Roth, V. L. “Homology.” Novartis Foundation Symposium #222. John Wiley & Sons, 1999.

Roth, V. L. “Homoplasy: the recurrence of similarity in evolution.” American Scientist: The Magazine of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, 1998.

Roth, V. L. “Mammoths, mastodonts, and elephants: biology, behavior and the fossil record.” Journal of Mammalogy. Oxford University Press (OUP): Policy B - Oxford Open Option B, 1994.

Roth, V. L. “On evolution and fossil mammals.” American Scientist: The Magazine of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, 1989.

Roth, V Louise. “Vertebrate Fetal Membranes. Comparative Ontogeny and Morphology; Evolution; Phylogenetic Significance; Basic Functions; Research Opportunities.Harland W. Mossman.” The Quarterly Review of Biology. University of Chicago Press, March 1988. https://doi.org/10.1086/415763. Full Text

Roth, V. L. “The Sumatran Rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis (1814) in The Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia; Its Distribution, Ecology, and Conservation.” Systematic Zoology, 1987.

Selected Grants

Training Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology awarded by National Institutes of Health (Mentor). 2001 to 2022

DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Mechanical Properties and Functional Morphology of Mammalian Footpads awarded by National Science Foundation (Principal Investigator). 2002 to 2004

REU Supplement: Molecular Systematics of the Sciuridae awarded by National Science Foundation (Principal Investigator). 1998 to 2004

Molecular Systematics of the Sciuridae awarded by National Science Foundation (Principal Investigator). 1998 to 2002

Dissertation Research: Evolution and Functional Morphology in Incisors in Wood-Cutting Castorids awarded by National Science Foundation (Co Investigator). 2000 to 2001

A Comparative Study of Cranial Development in the Thamnophiine Snakes awarded by National Science Foundation (Principal Investigator). 1991 to 1993

Systematics and Allometry of Pygmy Squirrels awarded by National Science Foundation (Principal Investigator). 1986 to 1989

Systematic and Allometry of Pygmy Squirrels awarded by National Science Foundation (Principal Investigator). 1986 to 1989