Dr. Anthony Bledsoe

Genetics
K. Arndt
T.-L. Ashman
G. Campbell
D. Chapman
G. Hatfull
J. Hildebrand
L. Jacobson
S. Kalisz
J. Martens
W. Saunders
B. Stronach
S. Tonsor
R. Wood

Microbiology
J. Boyle
G. Hatfull
R. Hendrix
J. Lawrence
J. Pipas
M. Popa
R.L. Duda
S. Godfrey
V. Oke

Molecular Biology
K. Arndt
J. Franzen
P. Grabowski
G. Hatfull
R. Hendrix
L. Jen-Jacobson
J. Martens
C. Peebles
J. Pipas
J. Rosenberg
A. Schwacha
C. Walsh

Plant Biology
T.-L. Ashman
W. Carson
S. Kalisz
V. Oke
C. Partanen
S. Tonsor
B. Traw

Science Education
A. Bledsoe
K. Curto
L. Daniels
S. Godfrey
N. Kaufmann
C. LaFave
J. Newman
E. Polinko
M. Popa
L. Roberts
T. Seiflein
R. Sherwin
A. Slinskey Legg

Structural Biology
M. Grabe
J. Hempel
R. Hendrix
L. Jen-Jacobson
J. Rosenberg
A. VanDemark

Former Faculty

Photo of Dr.
Bledsoe

Avian systematics and evolution

Lecturer

Dr. Bledsoe received his Ph.D. in 1984 from Yale University and joined the Department in 1987.

Currently, Dr. Bledsoe is not accepting graduate students in his laboratory. Dr. Bledsoe is accepting undergraduate researchers, and does sponsor students in other laboratories.

Professional Interests - Publications - Contact Information - Lab Personnel

Professional Interests of Anthony Bledsoe

Dr. Bledsoe's research focuses on two basic areas:

The reconstruction of avian phylogenies through analysis of molecular and morphological data
The use of estimates of phylogeny to gain insight into the ecology and biogeography of birds and basic mechanisms of evolutionary change.

The central goal of the work is to provide the historical framework necessary for analysis of the causal mechanisms responsible for the generation of avian diversity and ecological, anatomical, and geographic variety. A related goal involves contributions to the theory of systematics, particularly with regard to testing historical hypotheses about phylogeny and adaptation.

Phylogeny reconstruction

The term "phylogeny" refers to the historical pattern of branching of lineages through the process of speciation. Often represented in tree form, phylogenies provide hypotheses about evolutionary relationships between taxa and evolutionary transformations in anatomy, macromolecules, behavior, and ecology. My current work focuses on the use of cladistic analysis to infer the phylogeny of two important groups of Neotropical passerine birds: the ovenbirds (Furnariinae) and the tapaculos (Rhinocryptidae). The bulk of the data for these projects is obtained by anatomical dissections of the hindlimb locomotor apparatus, supplemented with behavioral and molecular data. Data obtained by anatomical comparisons in addition shed light on locomotor adaptations, which are diverse in the group of birds to which the ovenbirds and tapaculos belong.

A related interest deals with the extent of within-species variation in locomotor traits, and the degree to which that variation causes potential problems in phylogenetic inference. Current work focuses on one genus of the scansorial (woodpecker-like) birds known as woodcreepers. In members of this genus (Dendrocincla), many hindlimb tendons are converted into bone, and the pattern of conversion is highly variable within-species. This work serves as one avenue into the study of the mechanistic basis of evolutionary change, discussed below.

Causal mechanisms and evolutionary diversification

Phylogenies provide the historical framework within which to study causal mechanisms. My work in this area focuses on the concept of key innovations and their possible relationship to patterns of species diversity among clades, as well as on the role (or lack thereof) that natural selection plays in the process of evolutionary loss. The key innovation work currently involves the use of null models to analyze the levels of species diversity found in passerine birds and their relatives. The evolutionary loss work takes advantage of a phylogeny of the woodcreepers, previously published by my close colleague and collaborator, Robert Raikow, combined with information on within-species variation in evolutionary loss in genus Dendrocincla, to test competing selection and drift hypotheses about the possible mechanisms that give rise to loss.

Publication Archive
12 Citations
7 Abstracts
3 PDFs

Recent Publications of Anthony Bledsoe

Raikow, R.J., and A.H. Bledsoe (2000) Phylogeny and evolution of the passerine birds. Bioscience 50:487-499

Bledsoe, A.H., and F.H. Sheldon (2000) Solution DNA-DNA hybridization. Pp 89-112 in Molecular Methods in Ecology, Baker, A.J., Ed. Blackwell Science, Oxford

Bledsoe, A.H., R.J. Raikow, and L.S. Crowell (1997) Intraspecific variation and evolutionary reduction of tendon ossification in Dendrocincla woodcreepers. Condor 99:503-511 (PDF Reprint: 1.3 MB)

Bledsoe, A.H. (1995) Consilience and integration. Pp 195-202 in Concepts, Theories, and Rationality in the Biological Sciences, Wolters, G., and J.G. Lennox, Ed. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh

Raikow, R.J., A.H. Bledsoe, T. Syed, and A.G. Glasgow (1993) Intraspecific variation in the hindlimb muscles of the ivory-billed woodcreeper and the blue jay, with review of other species. Condor 95:497-506 (PDF Reprint: 1.6 MB)

Sheldon, F.H., and A.H. Bledsoe (1993) Avian molecular systematics, 1970s to 1990s. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 24:243-278

Bledsoe, A.H., R.J. Raikow, and A.G. Glasgow (1993) Evolution and functional significance of tendon ossification in woodcreepers (Aves: Passeriformes: Dendrocolaptinae). J. Morphol. 215:289-300

How to Contact Anthony Bledsoe

US Mail
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Biological Sciences
G-1 Clapp Hall
4249 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Phone, FAX, Internet
Office : (412) 624-4581
Lab :
FAX : (412) 624-4759
Email : bledsoe+@pitt.edu
Web :

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