Vascular plant reproductive structures are extremely diverse in form and are often quite complex; for example, many flowers are composed of highly specialized organs in intricate arrangements. Such diversity has not always been present - the earliest known reproductive structures are very simple - but quantifying how complexity has changed through time is challenging because it is difficult to even define exactly what complexity is.

Complex biological systems can be described by any one of a number of features, including the tools used to deconstruct interactions between the parcels, actors, and forces that compose these systems. In addition, they are defined by a growing understanding of how context shapes these interactions, and by extension, the behavior of biological systems. In this seminar, I will highlight these aspects of complex biological systems using several different model problems: protein evolution, genomic prediction, and the interaction between pandemics and the criminal legal system.

Birds evolved about 150 million years ago, and today they are the most diverse and colorful land vertebrates. In my group, we are fascinated by the ecological and evolutionary processes that drive this variation. Much of our work investigates coloration and vision in birds. A fundamental challenge is that birds see differently from humans: they have tetrachromatic vision (four color cone-types) and ultraviolet sensitivity. To estimate a “bird’s-eye view,” we combine advanced imaging techniques with new computational methods.

Nekton community composition in a mosaic of seagrass and oyster-culture habitats
By: Fiona Boardman (Ruesink Lab)

Eco-morphology of phragmocone-bearing cephalopods: Using stable isotopes analyses to look into the differences in metabolism and trophic ecology between extinct and extant sepiids and nautiloids
By: Job Veloso (Ward Lab)