Expertise
Why are there so many species and what determines their geographic distributions? How have morphological features evolved over geological time, and how has ecology shaped the evolution of these features? How can we best protect some of the least well-known components of biological diversity (e.g. land snails)? These questions underpin my research program, which is focused on the determinants of species diversity: phylogeny and biogeography, as well as understanding the contributions of speciation in community assembly.
Research
- Phylogeny and morphological evolution in rock and leaf litter dwelling land snails
- Radiations of ecologically similar species
- Convergence among microeukaryotes
- Phylogeny and morphology of microscopic turbellarian flatworms
I study the patterns of biological diversification and the factors underlying those patterns (e.g. the role of ecology in evolutionary radiations). Most of my work centers around phylogenetics, biogeography and morphological evolution. I am particularly interested in the geological history of a particular place and how the interplay between that history and current ecological factors contributed to the biotas we see today (e.g. on Pacific islands).