One of the fundamental questions in evolution is understanding the processes that generate biodiversity at the geological, or macroevolutionary, time scales. While evolutionary processes, such as genetic drift and natural selection, are relatively well understood at the ecological, or microevolutionary, scale, it is still unclear how they translate over large scales. In this talk, I present an integrative framework I’ve been articulating to bridge the gap between micro and macro scales and present examples in studying the macroevolution of morphology.

Both climate and land-use change have accelerated over the past decades. The cumulative effects of these disruptions are not additive or systematic; rather, they pose complex, dynamic environmental challenges to ecological systems. To survive, terrestrial plants and animals will need to shift their distributions to track habitable regions or exhibit the flexibility to survive these shifting environmental regimes.