In the Adams lab our research focuses on the evolution of the multivariate phenotype. We are interested in understanding micro- and macroevolutionary patterns of phenotypic diversification, and the historical and ecological processes that are responsible for them. We use a comparative evolutionary framework to attain these goals, directing our empirical work towards vertebrates, with an emphasis on plethodontid salamanders. A major emphasis in the lab is the development of new theoretical and analytical tools for quantifying the multivariate phenotype, and for elucidating patterns of phenotypic evolution and change in a phylogenetic and macroevolutionary context. Research projects include evolutionary theory, morphometrics, and methods development; macroevolutionary patterns and processes; and phenotypic microevolution.