Research Areas
How has plant form and diversity changed through time? Why do plant structures look the way they do and how did they evolve? How have various biotic and abiotic processes influenced the diversification of plant lineages? Living and fossil organisms provide complementary perspectives on these fundamental questions, and together have enormous potential for elucidating plant macroevolution. We investigate these types of questions for a variety of groups and time periods, using multifaceted and creative approaches that integrate methods from multiple fields. Keep scrolling for more information on ongoing projects in the lab.
Conifer tree of death
Extant Pinus seed cone
The conifers are a diverse and ancient group of seed plants found around the world today. They have persisted in terrestrial environments for hundreds of millions of years through dramatic changes to the Earth system. Although the phylogeny of living conifers has been studied extensively, their relationships with extinct conifers remain unresolved, leaving many questions on conifer evolutionary history unanswered. This project, funded by an NSF CAREER award, is aimed at better understanding the phylogenetic relationships of living and extinct conifers, evolutionary of reproductive organs, and shifts in global diversity and distributions through time.
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This project involves: morphology & anatomy of living species, fossil descriptions, fossil databasing, phylogenetics, divergence-time estimation
Evolutionary development of conifer ovulate cones
The megasporangiate reproductive structures of conifers—ovulate/seed cones—are morphologically diverse both today and in the deep past. How modern conifer seed cones evolved from those of ancient conifers remains a longstanding question in plant morphology and evolution. This research agenda investigates the developmental, evolutionary, and genetic processes underlying the diversity of conifer reproductive systems.
This project involves: comparative anatomy, developmental gene expression, comparative transcriptomics, in situ hybridization
Histone H4 expression in Taxodium distichum cone
Palm macroevolution
Today, members of the palm family (Arecaceae) are ubiquitous components of tropical ecosystems, and are tremendously ecologically and morphologically diverse. They also have an extensive, global fossil record. This research agenda is focused on using fossils to understand the evolutionary origins of modern palm diversity. Specifically, we are the interested in the relationship between palms and the origin of modern tropical rainforests, historical biogeography, evolutionary tempo, and the role environmental/climatic changes in palm diversification.
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This project involves: fossil descriptions, morphology & anatomy of living palms, fossil databasing, phylogenetics, divergence-time estimation, phylogenetic comparative methods, and functional traits.
Time-calibrated phylogenetic tree of the palm family based on recent fossil discoveries
µCT for Paleobotany
X-ray micro-computed tomography, or µCT, is a 3D imaging technique that has gained widespread usage in paleontology. We use µCT to non-destructively study fossil specimens, produce 3D images and models for more effective science communication, and rapidly survey morphology and anatomy of extant plants for comparative work and building morphological datasets. We also explore novel applications and techniques using this technology.
µCT volume rendering of Viracarpon phytolaccoides fossil infructescence