World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
33
Citations
5160
World Ranking
7813
National Ranking
612

Overview

Peter F. Cowman is affiliated with James Cook University in Australia and conducts research primarily in the field of Environmental Science. Their work covers various subfields including Nature and Landscape Conservation, Ecology, Global and Planetary Change, Paleontology, and Molecular Biology.

The scientist's research spans multiple topics, focusing significantly on Ichthyology and Marine Biology, Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies, Marine and Fisheries Research, Fish Biology, Ecology, and Behavior, Identification and Quantification in Food, Genetic Diversity and Population Structure, and Fish Biology and Ecology Studies.

Frequent publication venues for their work include Systematic Biology, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Ecology and Evolution, and Nature Ecology & Evolution.

They have collaborated repeatedly with several coauthors, including Andrea M. Quattrini, Tom C. L. Bridge, David R. Bellwood, Andrew H. Baird, and Brant C. Faircloth.

Recent selected publications illustrating the scope of their research are:

  • "Palaeoclimate ocean conditions shaped the evolution of corals and their skeletons through deep time," 2020, Nature Ecology & Evolution
  • "Phylogenomics, Origin, and Diversification of Anthozoans (Phylum Cnidaria)," 2020, Systematic Biology
  • "An enhanced target-enrichment bait set for Hexacorallia provides phylogenomic resolution of the staghorn corals (Acroporidae) and close relatives," 2020, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
  • "Prolonged morphological expansion of spiny-rayed fishes following the end-Cretaceous," 2022, Nature Ecology & Evolution
  • "Trophic innovations fuel reef fish diversification," 2020, Nature Communications

Best Publications

  • An inverse latitudinal gradient in speciation rate for marine fishes

    Daniel L. Rabosky;Jonathan Chang;Pascal O. Title;Peter F. Cowman;Peter F. Cowman

  • The historical biogeography of coral reef fishes: global patterns of origination and dispersal

    Peter F. Cowman;David R. Bellwood

  • Quantifying phylogenetic beta diversity: distinguishing between 'true' turnover of lineages and phylogenetic diversity gradients.

    Fabien Leprieur;Camille Albouy;Julien De Bortoli;Peter F. Cowman

  • Coral reefs as drivers of cladogenesis: expanding coral reefs, cryptic extinction events, and the development of biodiversity hotspots.

    P. F. Cowman;D. R. Bellwood

  • Quaternary coral reef refugia preserved fish diversity

    Loïc Pellissier;Loïc Pellissier;Fabien Leprieur;Valeriano Parravicini;Peter F. Cowman

  • Human-mediated loss of phylogenetic and functional diversity in coral reef fishes.

    Stéphanie D’agata;Stéphanie D’agata;David Mouillot;Michel Kulbicki;Serge Andréfouët

  • Plate tectonics drive tropical reef biodiversity dynamics

    Fabien Leprieur;Patrice Descombes;Patrice Descombes;Théo Gaboriau;Peter F. Cowman

  • Vicariance across major marine biogeographic barriers: temporal concordance and the relative intensity of hard versus soft barriers.

    Peter F. Cowman;David R. Bellwood

  • Parasitic plants have increased rates of molecular evolution across all three genomes

    Lindell Bromham;Peter F Cowman;Robert Lanfear

  • Dating the evolutionary origins of wrasse lineages (Labridae) and the rise of trophic novelty on coral reefs

    Peter F. Cowman;David R. Bellwood;Lynne van Herwerden

  • Evolutionary history of the butterflyfishes (f: Chaetodontidae) and the rise of coral feeding fishes

    D. R. Bellwood;S. Klanten;P. F. Cowman;M. S. Pratchett

  • Palaeoclimate ocean conditions shaped the evolution of corals and their skeletons through deep time

    Andrea M Quattrini;Andrea M Quattrini;Estefanía Rodríguez;Brant C Faircloth;Peter F Cowman

  • Prolonged morphological expansion of spiny-rayed fishes following the end-Cretaceous

    Unknown

  • Phylogenomics, Origin, and Diversification of Anthozoans (Phylum Cnidaria)

    Catherine S McFadden;Andrea M Quattrini;Andrea M Quattrini;Mercer R Brugler;Peter F Cowman

  • The biogeography of tropical reef fishes: endemism and provinciality through time

    Peter F. Cowman;Peter F. Cowman;Valeriano Parravicini;Michel Kulbicki;Sergio R. Floeter

  • Exploring the Relationships between Mutation Rates, Life History, Genome Size, Environment, and Species Richness in Flowering Plants

    Lindell Bromham;Xia Hua;Robert Lanfear;Peter F. Cowman

  • An enhanced target-enrichment bait set for Hexacorallia provides phylogenomic resolution of the staghorn corals (Acroporidae) and close relatives.

    Peter F. Cowman;Andrea M. Quattrini;Andrea M. Quattrini;Tom C.L. Bridge;Tom C.L. Bridge;Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell

  • Trophic innovations fuel reef fish diversification.

    Alexandre C. Siqueira;Renato A. Morais;David R. Bellwood;Peter F. Cowman

  • Global marine protected areas do not secure the evolutionary history of tropical corals and fishes.

    D Mouillot;D Mouillot;V Parravicini;David R. Bellwood;F Leprieur

  • Effects of coral bleaching and coral loss on the structure and function of reef fish assemblages

    M. S. Pratchett;C. A. Thompson;A. S. Hoey;P. F. Cowman

  • Phylogenetic perspectives on reef fish functional traits

    Sergio R. Floeter;Mariana G. Bender;Alexandre C. Siqueira;Peter F. Cowman;Peter F. Cowman

  • The molecular biogeography of the Indo-Pacific: testing hypotheses with multispecies genetic patterns

    Eric D. Crandall;Cynthia Riginos;Chris E. Bird;Libby Liggins;Libby Liggins

  • An enhanced target-enrichment bait set for Hexacorallia provides phylogenomic resolution of the staghorn corals (Acroporidae) and close relatives

    Peter F Cowman;Andrea M Quattrini;Andrea M Quattrini;Thomas C.L. Bridge;Thomas C.L. Bridge;Gregory J Watkins-Colwell

Frequent Co-Authors

David R. Bellwood
David R. Bellwood James Cook University
David Mouillot
David Mouillot University of Montpellier
Joseph D. DiBattista
Joseph D. DiBattista Griffith University
Tom C. L. Bridge
Tom C. L. Bridge Queensland Museum
Fabien Leprieur
Fabien Leprieur University of Montpellier
Valeriano Parravicini
Valeriano Parravicini University of Perpignan
Michel Kulbicki
Michel Kulbicki Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
Morgan S. Pratchett
Morgan S. Pratchett James Cook University
Andrew H. Baird
Andrew H. Baird James Cook University

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Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

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If you enjoy drawing from multiple disciplines, consider an online interdisciplinary studies degree career outcomes pathway. These programs let you tailor your curriculum, combining ecology, policy, communication, and more—leading to flexible roles in research, advocacy, or education.

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