Biodiversity research
A necessary pre-requisite for a real understanding of how biodiversity evolves is adequate taxonomic knowledge and the systematic study of biodiversity patterns on all scales. Moreover, the temporal frame in which biodiversity evolves and the question why diversity fluctuations occur are major issues in evolutionary biology. Environmental change impacts diversification patterns such as speciation, extinction and/or immigration. We use extensive phylogenetic data to unravel the impact of extrinsic (abiotic) factors on the extent and timing of biotic diversification in a time-frame spanning from Late Miocene to Pleistocene times. Using phylogenetic techniques and the recent and fossil record, we aim to identify diversification patterns, test for global vs. regional effects of major environmental changes (extrinsic factors) on speciation/extinction events, and test for the importance of extrinsic vs. intrinsic factors (biological traits).
