Stephanie Pierce
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Stephanie is a NERC Postdoctoral Researcher in John Hutchinson's lab examining the locomotion potential of early tetrapods.
Biography
Stephanie graduated with an Honours in Palaeontology BSc degree from the University of Alberta, Canada. Directly following this, she pursued an MSc degree by research in Systematics and Evolution at the University of Alberta studying the anatomy and evolutionary relationships of extinct marine lizards. Her love of vertebrate evolution brought her to the University of Bristol, UK where she embarked on a PhD degree which focused on assessing the interplay between skull shape variation and biomechanical performance in extant and extinct crocodiles.
Research
Stephanie's scholarly interests are focused on assessing the link between form and function of the vertebrate skeletal system – especially with respect to muscle/skeletal interactions during feeding and locomotor behaviours in modern and extinct animals.
Stephanie is primarily working on a NERC funded project entitled “Locomotion in the earliest tetrapods: testing models of terrestriality” with Prof Jenny Clack in the Museum of Zoology, Cambridge and Dr John Hutchinson at the Royal Veterinary College. The main aim of this study is to virtually reconstruct the anatomy and locomotion of early tetrapods (e.g. Acanthostega, Ichthyostega) and modern analogues (e.g. seals, crocodiles) to infer how axial and appendicular musculoskeletal function evolved with the transition from water to land.
Other projects underway with various collaborators include such things as: scaling crocodile jaw muscles and skull stress/strain through ontogeny and across species; virtually reconstructing the brain, sinuses and vestibular system of extinct crocodiles and plesiosaurs; examining the relationship between lower jaw shape, function and disparity through the crocodile lineage; mapping developmental morpho/skeletogenesis in crocodiles; and uncovering how evolutionary changes in vertebral shape affect biomechanical performance.
Selected Publications
Palaeo/Zoology Publications
- Pierce, Stephanie E., Jennifer A. Clack, and John R. Hutchinson. (in press). Three-dimensional limb joint mobility in the early tetrapod Ichthyostega. Nature.
- Pierce, Stephanie E., Jennifer A. Clack, and John R. Hutchinson. 2011. Comparative axial morphology in pinnipeds and its correlation with aquatic locomotory behaviour. Journal of Anatomy, 219: 502–514.
- Pierce, Stephanie E., Kenneth D. Angielczyk, and Emily J. Rayfield. 2009. Shape and mechanics in thalattosuchian (Crocodylomorpha) skulls: implications for feeding behaviour and niche partitioning. Journal of Anatomy, 215: 555–576.
- Pierce, Stephanie E., Kenneth D. Angielczyk, and Emily J. Rayfield. 2009. Morphospace occupation in thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs: skull shape variation, species delineation, and temporal patterns. Palaeontology, 52: 1057–1097.
- Pierce, Stephanie E., Kenneth D. Angielczyk, and Emily J. Rayfield. 2008. Patterns of morphospace occupation and mechanical performance in extant crocodilian skulls: a combined geometric morphometric and finite element modeling approach. Journal of Morphology, 269:840–864.
- Pierce, Stephanie E., and Michael J. Benton. 2006. Pelagosaurus typus Bronn, 1841 (Mesoeucrocodylia: Thalattosuchia) from the Upper Lias (Toarcian, Lower Jurassic) of Somerset, England. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 26:621–635.
- Pierce, Stephanie E., and Michael W. Caldwell. 2004. Redescription and phylogenetic position of the Adriatic (Upper Cretaceous; Cenomanian) dolichosaur Pontosaurus lesinensis (Kornhuber, 1873). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 24:373–386.
Technical Publications
- Molnar, Julia L., Stephanie E. Pierce, Jennifer A. Clack, John R. Hutchinson. (2012). Idealized landmark-based geometric reconstructions of poorly preserved fossil material: a case study of an early tetrapod vertebra. Palaeontologia Electronica, 15(1): 18p.
Evolution Reviews
- Pierce, Stephanie E. 2002. Non-equilibrium thermodynamics: An alternate evolutionary hypothesis. Crossing Boundaries, 1: 49–59.
Educational Publications
- Dale, Vicki. H.M., Stephanie E. Pierce, and Stephen A. May. 2010. The importance of cultivating a preference for complexity in veterinarians for effective lifelong learning. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 37: 165–171.
- Dale, Vicki. H.M., Stephanie E. Pierce, Donald Palmer, and Stephen A. May. 2010. The role of undergraduate research experiences in producing veterinary scientists. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 37: 198–206.
- Baillie, Sarah, Stephanie E. Pierce, and Stephen A. May. 2010. Fostering integrated learning and clinical professionalism using contextualized simulation in a small group role-play. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 37: 248–253.