How landscape change has shaped patterns of diversity on Earth is a central question in Biology. In Plant Systematics, a great volume of research on this problem has centered on how major geological events shaped the evolution of the Neotropical flora (the world’s richest flora). In this talk, I will show how I rely on natural history observations as a powerful tool for identifying plant groups whose biology make them ideal model systems for approaching long-standing questions from unexplored angles.

Simon Snoeck | Steinbrenner Lab
"Evolutionary gain and loss of a plant pattern-recognition receptor for HAMP recognition"

Sarah Guiziou | Nemhauser Lab
"Integrases to record gene-expression during plant development"

Kristen Finch | Wasser Lab
“Designing and deploying forensic DNA tests for counter wildlife trafficking”