Dominique G. Homberger

Research Interests

My research program focuses on the exploration of complex systems and the discovery of structures, constructional principles, and theoretical concepts. Examples are the discovery of the special construction of the avian hyoid suspension and its implication for the evolution of feeding adaptations in mammals and birds; the discovery of a kinetic larynx in certain birds and its fundamental role in vocalization; the discovery of the role of dermal and subcutaneous fat for the movement of feathers; the discovery of the function of the depressor feather muscles and its significance for the evolution of birds and avian flight; the development of a method of theoretical biomechanical analysis of complex skeleto-muscular systems; and the postulate that systematics and comparative anatomy are based on distinct research programs.

I am particularly interested in the integration of individual structures and organs into mechanically coherent complex systems of interactive parts. An example is the discovery that the types of larynges in birds are related to certain types of hyoid suspensions and that, therefore, the evolutionary changes in the vocal apparatus are tied to those of the feeding apparatus in birds. A goal of my research is the reconstruction of macroevolutionary changes as a result of individual variation and natural selection based on an integration of functional-morphological and ecological data of extant organisms and of paleoclimatological and geological data. An example is my long-term study of the feeding and drinking behavior, morphology, and ecology of cockatoos and parrots, which has also implications for the evolution of the Gondwanan avifauna in general.