Daniel L. Graf, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biology

Office: TNR 435
Phone: (715) 346-2285
Email: dgraf@uwsp.edu

Education

Ph.D. Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.  (2001)
Dissertation: A Phylogenetic Perspective on the Evolution of the Unionoida (Mollusca Bivalvia Palaeoheterodonta): Using Pattern to Test Hypotheses of Macroevolutionary Process.

M.Sc. Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts.  (1997)
Thesis: Morphology, Zoogeography, and Taxonomy of Fusconaia flava (Rafinesque, 1820) (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) in the Upper Mississippi, Great Lakes, and Nelson River Basins.

B.Sc. Biology, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota.  (1993)

Courses

Biology 110 - Principles of Biology I
Biology 111 - Principles of Biology II
Biology 160 - Introduction to Animal Biology
Biology 210 - Principles of Genetic
Biology 270 - Ecology and Evolution
Biology 361/561 - Aquatic Invertebrate Zoology
Biology 498 - Selected Topics in Biology

Professional Appointments

2018-present Associate Professor, Biology Department, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
2012-2018 Assistant Professor, UWSP.
2008-present Research Associate, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2004-present Research Associate, Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois.
2003-present Research Associate, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
2008-2012 Assistant Professor and Full Member of the Graduate Faculty, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
2002-2008 Assistant Curator, Malacology Department, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2000-2001 Curatorial Assistant, Research Assistant and Collections Coordinator, Mollusk Division, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
1995-1997 "Casual Help" and Curatorial Assistant, Malacology Department, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
1993-1994 Laboratory Assistant, Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, St. Paul.

 

Recent Grants, Awards & Fellowships

2013-2014 ITIS, “Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) database development for freshwater mussels (Unionoida),” collaboration with Kevin Cummings (Illinois Natural History Survey): $13,000.
2013-2014 Undergraduate Education Initiative (UEI), UWSP, “Curation of the Daniel Bereza Collection of Freshwater Mussels at the National Museum of Natural History”: $3880.
2007-2013 National Science Foundation, "Phylogeny on the half-shell — Assembling the Bivalve Tree of Life." Senior Investigator with Gonzalo Giribet (Museum of Comparative Zoology), DEB-AToL-0732903, $137,574.
2007-2008 IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Unit, Central Africa freshwater biodiversity assessment project, "Unionoida Assessment." 510 euros.
2006-2009 National Science Foundation, "Evolution in a Vortex: An Inventory of the Fishes and Mollusks of the Lower Congo River Rapids." Collaboration with Melanie Stiassny (American Museum of Natural History), DEB-BSI-0542575: $139,550 (including a supplemental award of $14,295).
2003-2008 National Science Foundation, "Systematic Revision of the Etherioidea, the Freshwater Mussels (Mollusca: Unionoida) of the Gondwanan Continents." Collaboration with Kevin Cummings (Illinois Natural History Survey), DEB-REVSYS-0316125: $199,805.

Recent Service

2007-present

Journal of Molluscan Studies, Associate Editor.

2009-present

IUCN SCC Mollusca Specialist Group, member.

2011-present

Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation, editorial board.

2009-2018

Malacologia, editorial board.

2015-2017

American Malacological Society, Council member at-large.

2002-present

NSF Proposal Reviews.

2000-present

Numerous journal (and other scholarly publications) reviews.

Recent Publications



2018		† indicates student collaborators. Click here for a complete list of my publications.

† Pfeiffer, J.M., D.L. Graf, K.S. Cummings & L.M. Page. Molecular phylogeny and taxonomic revision of two enigmatic freshwater mussel genera (Bivalvia: Unionidae incertae sedis: Harmandia and Unionetta) reveals a diverse clade of southeast Asian Parreysiinae. Journal of Molluscan Studies 84: 404-416. doi.org/10.1093/mollus/eyy028
2017
 Combosch, D.J., T.M. Collins, E.A. Glover, D.L. Graf, E.M. Harper, J. Healy, G.Y. Kawauchi, S. Lemer, E. McIntyre, E. Strong, J.D. Taylor, J.D. Zardus, P.M. Mikkelsen, G. Giribet & R. Bieler. A family-level tree of life for bivalves based on a Sanger-sequencing approach. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution, in press. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.11.003
2015
 † Pfeiffer, J.M. & D.L. Graf. Evolution of bilaterally asymmetrical larvae in freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoida: Unionidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 175: 307-318. doi:10.1111/zoj.12282
20​15
 † Graf, D.L., H. Jones, A.J. Geneva, J.M. Pfeiffer & Michael W. Klunzinger. Molecular phylogenetic analysis supports a Gondwanan origin of the Hyriidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionida) and the paraphyly of Australasian taxa. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution 85: 1-9. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.01.012
2014
 Graf, D.L., A.J. Geneva†, J.M. Pfeiffer III† & A.D. Chilala. Phylogenetic analysis of Prisodontopsis Tomlin, 1928 and Mweruella Haas, 1936 (Bivalvia: Unionidae) from Lake Mweru (Congo Basin) reveals endemic Quaternary radiation in the Zambian Congo. Journal of Molluscan Studies 80: 303-314. doi: 10.1093/mollus/eyu012

Recent Presentations & Posters



2020
† indicates student collaborators. Click here for a complete list of presentations & posters.

Graf, D.L. A Biodiversity Informatics Approach to Family-group Level Classification of Freshwater Mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoida) [oral presentation]. American Malacological Society, 13-14 July 2020, virtual meeting.
2019
 Graf, D.L. A big data approach to biodiversity research. Great Lakes Analytics Conference, 4 October 2019, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI.
2019
 Cummings, K.S., C.R. Randklev, K. Inoue, J.S. Tiemann, N.A. Johnson, J.M. Pfeiffer, D.L. Graf, T. Miller, A.L. Burden & E. Naranjo-Garcia. The Freshwater Mussels of México (Unionidae & Mycetopodidae) [oral presentation]. Biennial Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society Symposium, 14-18 April 2019, San Antonio, TX.     
20​18
 Cummings, K.S., D.L. Graf, C. Randklev, K. Inoue, A. Pieri & J.S. Tiemann.  The freshwater mussels of México [oral presentations]. American Malacological Society, 19-23 June 2018, Honolulu, HI.
2017
 Graf, D.L. Conflict Clade Analysis (CCA) of the freshwater mussel subfamily Unioninae (Bivalvia: Unionoida) [oral presentation]. American Malacological Society, 17-21 July 2017, University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Other Recent Scholarly Products


 Graf, D.L. & K.S. Cummings. 2002-2020. "The MUSSEL Project Web Site." Web site dedicated to explaining freshwater mussel diversity and evolution: http://www.mussel-project.net/.


 Graf, D.L. 2012-2020. "WInvertebrates: Towards an Account of the Freshwater Invertebrate taxa of Wisconsin, USA." Web site dedicated to synthesizing information of the diversity and zoology of the non-parasite, non-insect invertebrates of Wisconsin and adjacent areas: http://winvertebrates.uwsp.edu/.


Graf, D.L. 2008. Book review of "Freshwater Mussel Ecology- A Multifactor Approach to Distribution and Abundance by David L. Strayer." The Malaclogist 51: http://www.malacsoc.org.uk/The_Malacologist/BULL51/!musselreview51.htm

Recent Student Work


Dunn, I.R., L.C. Trittelwitz, J.L. Bielak, A.S. Mehus, & M.M. Tokarski. 2020. Freshwater mussel abundance and species richness with varying substrate [poster]. 2020 Jim & Katie Krause CNR Student Research Symposium, UWSP.       

Bielak, J.L., A.S. Mehus, M.M. Tokarski, L.C. Trittelwitz & I.R. Dunn. 2020. Freshwater mussel species richness and population patterns in Portage County [poster]. 2020 Jim & Katie Krause CNR Student Research Symposium, UWSP. 


 Roeske-Kretzer, O. & L. Taylor. 2019. Biogeography of freshwater mussels on the Wisconsin Natural Heritage Working List [poster]. UWSP College of Letters and Science Undergraduate Research Symposium, 3 May 2019.


Dykstra, R. 2018. Updated assessment of the biodiversity of freshwater mussels in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan [poster]. UWSP College of Letters and Science Undergraduate Research Symposium, 4 May 2018.


 Hausmann, E. 2017. Phase I: Mesoamerican freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) [poster]. UWSP College of Letters and Science Undergraduate Research Symposium, 5 May 2017.




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