Department of Evolutionary Morphology

Research Direction:

Evolutionary mechanisms of adaptation in various animal taxa and ecological groups.

Current Research Projects:

Studies of formation terms, growth and differentiation of organs and tissues in various vertebrates.

Studies of morphofunctional peculiarities and trends of evolutionary transformations in locomotor organs, skin, respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems in various vertebrates.

Quantitative description of variation, diversity, and evolution of osteometric characters in various animals; application of mathematical methods to comparative morphological and ecological data.

The Department includes Laboratory of Developmental Biology

History of the Department

Comparative anatomical studies have been conducted in the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine since 1922. They were initiated at the Chair of Experimental Zoology and at the Omelchenko Biological Institute. Since 1930 this studies have been conducted at the Departments of Experimental and Comparative Morphology of the newly established Institute of Zoology and Biology (renamed into Institute of Zoology of Academy of Sciences of Ukrainian SSR in 1939, now Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine). The studies were initiated and led by I. I. Schmalhausen (the first Director of the Institute and Head of the Department of Experimental Morphology) until 1941.

Stuff of the Department:

	Igor Dzeverin Dr. Sci., Head of the Department Scientific interests: variation, comparative morphology, and evolutionary history of mammals. Evolution of quantitative characters. Statistical techniques in biology. History and philosophy of biology. Personal page
	Michail Kovtun Dr. Sci., Professor, Principal Research Scientist Scientific interests: comparative and evolutionary morphology; embryology, evolution, ontogenesis. Personal page
	Pavel Gol'din Cand. Sci., Assoc. Prof., acting Leading Research Scientist Scientific interests: Comparative anatomy, evolution and ontogeny of marine mammals. Paleontology of marine mammals. Populations of marine mammals: dynamics, morphology, mortality factors. Age, growth, and life history of mammals. Zooarchaeology. Conservation of marine and coastal areas. Marine mammals of the Azov and the Black Seas. Personal page
	Igor Bogdanovich Cand. Sci., Senior Research Scientist Scientific interests: origin of birds locomotor apparatus, flight and birds as class. Personal page
	Irine Kovalyova Cand. Sci., Senior Research Scientist Scientific interests: morphology, ecology and evolution of mammals, particularly Chiroptera. Personal page
	Maria Ghazali Cand. Sci., acting Senior Research Scientist Scientific interests: morphology and evolution of skull and teeth. Bats' distribution and ecology. Personal page
	Oksana Shatkovska Cand. Sci., Research Scientist Scientific interests: formation of bird limbs skeleton in embryogenesis and postembryogenesis. Changes of proportions of the skeleton of the limbs in ontogeny of birds of different adaptive groups. Morpho-functional adaptation of the limbs of the birds. Personal page
	Hanna Sheverdyukova Cand. Sci., acting Research Scientist Scientific interests: reptiles development, morphology and phylogeny. Personal page
	Anna Romaniuk Acting Junior Research Scientist Scientific interests: morpho-functional and biomechanical features of masticatory apparatus of the Carnivora (in particular, Mustelidae) in view of feeding strategy. Personal page
	Natalya Slutska Leading engineer. Technical supply. Scientific interests: morphology and evolution of skull anurans. Personal page
	Marina Vysotskaya First category engineer. Technical and material supply. Scientific interests: spinal column functional morphology of sharks different systematic groups, cetacean hind limb embryogenesis. Personal page