Emily Sessa, Assistant Professor
Department of Biology, University of Florida

Topic:  Fern tales at two scales: Using phylogenetics to study historical biogeography in Africa and community assembly in Florida

Abstract: 
Phylogenies are tools that can be used to investigate a diverse array of questions in evolutionary biology. In this talk, I will discuss several applications of phylogenies to understanding plant evolution, using ferns as the group of interest. I will describe efforts to understand the evolution of ferns in Africa by using phylogenies to estimate historical biogeographic and diversification patterns, and how we can use a phylogenetic framework to understand how and why species assemblages differ between geographic areas,  Emily Sessa.

Host Lab: Davis