Cara Wall-Scheffler

Hominin species success in particular environments, analysis of factors influencing energy expenditure and budgeting, evolutionary ecology, locomotor energetics, and functional morphology

My main research interest focuses around evolutionary tradeoffs throughout the human lineage. I am especially interested in the tradeoffs inherent in the mobility strategies of extinct and extant hominin populations, and how these populations balance access to resources, thermoregulation and reproduction.  I am particularly focused on the role of sexual dimorphism and differences in physiology as they relate to differences in resource acquisition strategies across the gender continuum. To better understand tradeoff strategies, I integrate biomechanics, locomotor energetics, telemetry physiology, paleontology, archaeozoology and behavioral ecology.