We're interested in the basic science of documenting species diversity across a wide range of scales, from describing new species and using data to test species hypotheses all the way up to understanding broad biogeographic patterns across all of North America.
Which environmental factors lead to high richness and endemism? How do introduced species impact the communities they invade? Are the species we currently recognize 'good' evolutionary species? We use a variety of approaches, from fieldwork to data-mining, phylogenetics and herbarium research to answer these and other questions related to the basics of understanding biodiversity. Pictured here is Campylopus introflexus, a Southern Hemisphere moss that is invading the west coast of North America, among other places (Carter 2014, Madroño). |
Patterns of endemism
Why are some areas higher in species richness or higher in endemism? We use herbarium specimen data, phylogenies, floristic data and trait data to answer these questions. The figure here illustrates the major regions of moss endemism in North America (From Carter et al. 2016, American Journal of Botany)
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Invasive species
There are very few studies documenting the ways that introduced bryophytes affect native bryophytes, as well as native flowering plants and animals. We conduct fieldwork to understand how introduced species, like the liverwort Lunularia cruciata influence native species like the moss Scleropodium occidentale (above).
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Taxonomy
Species are hypotheses, and are subject to testing with data like any other hypothesis. We used molecular and morphological data to test interpretations of species boundaries, for example in the Anacolia menziesii complex (above).
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