Dr. Rene P. Martin

Assistant Professor: University of Nebraska - Lincoln

I am an Assistant Professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. I earned my B.S. and M.S. in Ecology and Field Biology from St. Cloud State University (MN) and my Ph.D. from the University of Kansas (KS). Although my B.S. and freshwater fieldwork experience lies in the realm of natural resources and fisheries, my graduate work focused on studying the evolution and diversification of deep-sea fishes.

GENERAL RESEARCH INTERESTS

My past and current research focuses on answering questions pertaining to the evolution of lanternfishes (Myctophidae) and other deep-sea fish lineages. Lanternfishes are an extremely abundant and bioluminescent pelagic fish group. They eat large amounts of zooplankton and are prey for a variety of organisms, playing a major role in oceanic ecosystems. Lanternfishes, along with being abundant, are highly diverse for a pelagic fish lineage. My work includes creating phylogenetic hypotheses of genus-level relationships within Myctophidae using various types of data (e.g. ultraconserved elements, gene sequences, morphological characters), and using them as frameworks to investigate evolutionary questions related to lanternfish evolution and diversification. I am also interested in habitat transitions within closely related (order and family level) fishes and exploring the resulting morphological changes within a phylogenetic context.

Some of my current research is focused on describing the anatomy and morphology of photophores and light organs in multiple groups of bioluminescent fishes, including the lanternfishes, ponyfishes, and tubeshoulders. Incoming lab research will also focus on invasive Silver Carp reproductive ecology.

EMAIL

rmartin52@unl.edu

ADDRESS

Hardin Hall 416 South

3310 Holdrege Street
Lincoln, NE 68583

LAB MEMBERS

BAYLIE FADOOL

Masters Student: Fall 2024 - Present

Baylie received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from UNL. After finishing her undergrad, she headed to the Bimini Shark Lab where she spent three years as the Media Manager and Outreach Coordinator/Research Assistant. Baylie is dedicated to public outreach and education and is excited to be back to share the ocean with students and the general public in Nebraska.

For her research, Baylie will be using tissues samples and telemetry data to explore the population genetics and reproductive ecology of nurse sharks.

Notable Publication:

Fadool, B. A. et al. (2024). Age and growth estimates for the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) over 17 years in Bimini, The Bahamas. Frontiers in Marine Science, 11, 1265150.

Contact Information

Location: 243 Hardin Hall
Email: baylie.fadool@huskers.unl.edu

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Dr. Martin PUBLICATIONS

See CV page for links to PDFs of publications

14. Martin, R. P., Carr, E. M., & Sparks, J. S. (in press). Variation in Lanternfish (Myctophidae) Photophore Structure: A Comprehensive and Comparative Analysis. Plos One.

13. DeRaad, D. A., Files, A. N., DeCicco, L. H., Martin, R. P., McCullough, J. M., Holland, P., Pikacha, D., Tigulu, I. G., Boseto, D., Lavery, T. H., Andersen, M. J., & Moyle, R. G. (2024). Genomic patterns in the dwarf kingfishers of northern Melanesia reveal a mechanistic framework explaining the paradox of the great speciators. Evolution Letters, qrae035.

12. Carr, E. M., Martin, R. P., & Sparks, J. S. (2024). A New Extinct Species of Malagodon (Cyprinodontiformes: Pantanodontidae) from Southeastern Coastal Madagascar, with a Discussion of its Phylogenetic Relationships and a Redescription of the Genus. American Museum Novitates. 2024, 1-16.

11. Martin, R. P. & Smith, W. L. (2024). First evidence of sexual dimorphism in olfactory organs of deep-sea lanternfishes (Myctophidae). PeerJ. 12:e17075.

10. Martin, R. P., Lopez Carranza, N., LaVine, R. J., & Lieberman, B. S. (2023). Morphological evolution during the last hurrah of the trilobites: Morphometric analysis of the Devonian asteropyginid trilobites. Paleobiology. 49, 296–312

09. Martin, R. P., Dias, A., Summers, A. P., & Gerringer, M. E. (2022). Bone density variation in rattails (Macrouridae, Gadiformes): Buoyancy, Depth, Body Size, and Feeding. Integrative and Organismal Biology, 4, obac044.

08. Smith, W. L., Ghedotti, M. J., Domínguez-Domínguez, O., McMahan, C. D., Espinoza, E., Martin, R. P., Girard, M. G., & Davis, M. P. (2022) Investigations into the ancestry of the Grape-eye Seabass (Hemilutjanus macrophthalmos) reveal novel limits and relationships for the Acropomatiformes (Teleostei: Percomorpha). Neotropical Ichthyology, 20, 03.

07. Martin, R. P., Davis, M. P., & Smith, W. L. (2022). The impact of evolutionary trade-offs among bioluminescent organs and body shape in the deep sea: A case study on lanternfishes. Deep-sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research, 184, 103769.

06. Girard, M. G., Davis, M. P., Baldwin, C. C., Martin, R. P., Smith, W. L. (2022). Molecular phylogeny of the threadfin fishes (Polynemidae) using ultraconserved elements. Journal of Fish Biology, 100, 793–810.

05. Maile, A. J., May, Z. A., DeArmon, E. S., Martin, R. P., & Davis, M. P. (2020). Marine habitat transitions and body-shape evolution in lizardfishes and their allies (Aulopiformes). Copeia, 108, 820-832.

04. Martin, R. P., and Davis, M. P. (2020). The evolution of specialized dentition in the deep‐sea lanternfishes (Myctophiformes). Journal of Morphology. 281, 536–555.

03.   Smith, W.L., Buck, C.A., Ornay, G.S., Davis, M.P., Martin, R.P., Gibson, S.Z., and Girard, M.G. (2018) Improving vertebrate skeleton images: Fluorescence and the non-permanent mounting of cleared-and-stained specimens. Copeia. 106, 427–435.

02.   Martin, R.P., Olson, E.E., Girard, M.G., Smith, W.L., and Davis, M.P. (2018) Light in the darkness: New perspective on lanternfish relationships and classification using genomic and morphological data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 121, 71–85 

01.    Martin, R.P., and Davis, M.P. (2016) Patterns of phenotypic variation in the mouth size of lanternfishes (Teleostei: Myctophiformes). Copeia. 104, 795–807.