Texas Tech University

Robert Baker

Horn Professor and Director Emeritus, Natural Science Research Laboratory
Biological Sciences


Dr. Baker

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Education

  • Ph.D., University of Arizona, 1967
  • M.S., Oklahoma State University, 1965
  • B.S., Arkansas A&M College, 1963 

RESEARCH INTERESTS

The two main foci of the lab are determining the biological effects of living in the highly polluted environment generated by the meltdown of Reactor 4 at Chornobyl and Systematics of the American Leaf-Nosed bats, family Phyllostomidae. The lab is diverse and uses many molecular methods including sequencing, microsatellite analysis and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) of chromosomes. FISH activity primarily relates to selfish or mobile DNA. Research interests also include identifying DNA markers to establish natal origin of individuals and identification of cultivars and populations. Biological informatics is becoming a greater area of research activity during the past years. All of our research efforts are museum-voucher specimen based.

 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  • Baker, R. J. and R. D. Bradley. 2006. Speciation in mammals and the Genetic Species Concept. Journal of Mammalogy 87(4):643-662.
  • Baker, R. J. 2006. Order Chiroptera. Pp. 378-380 in the Atlas of Mammalian Chromosomes (S. J. O'Brien, J. C. Menninger, and W. G. Nash, eds.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. 760p.
  • Solari, S., and R. J. Baker. 2006. Mitochondrial DNA sequence, karyotypic, and morphological variation in the Carollia castanea species complex (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) with description of a new species. Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech University 254:i+1-16.
  • Hoofer, S. R., and R. J. Baker. 2006. Molecular systematics of Vampyressine bats (Phyllostomidae: Stenodermatinae) with comparison of direct and indirect surveys of mitochondrial DNA variation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39:424-438.
  • Wickliffe, J. K., Y. V. Dunina-Barkovskaya, S. P. Gaschak, B. E. Rodgers, R. K. Chesser, M. Bondarkov, and R. J. Baker. 2006. Variation in the mitochondrial DNA control region haplotypes in populations of the bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus, living in the Chernobyl environment, Ukraine. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 25:503-508.

Department of Biological Sciences

  • Address

    Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Box 43131 Lubbock, TX 79409
  • Phone

    806.742.2715
  • Email

    biology@ttu.edu