Grasslands cover more than 40% of the continents and vitally influences global climate, geochemical cycling, and the animals (including humans!) that depend on them. Given the central role that the grasses (Poaceae) play on Earth today, we ask:
We document the evolutionary history of Poaceae and the assembly of grassland ecosystems in multiple regions on different continents (North and South America, Eurasia, Africa) to better understand the unique paths and common factors that have shaped the formation of the grassy biome. |
Paleontologists have a unique opportunity to study how plants and animals have responded to major environmental changes over long timescales (104-106 years), providing information that can potentially improve predictions for future ecosystem change. Environmental changes of interest include changes in climate, atmospheric CO2 levels, disturbance (e.g. fire regime). We wonder:
In collaboration with geochemists, geologists and vertebrate palentologists, we address these questions for several major Earth events (e.g., Eocene-Oligocene cooling, middle Miocene warming, end-Cretaceous warming and cooling) on different continents (North and South America, India). |
Plants have had to ‘deal’ with silica in their environment since they emerged on land some 450 million years ago. Today, many plants appear to benefit from incorporating Si/silica in their tissues for several reasons, ranging from enhanced protection against parasites and heavy metal poisoning, to mechanical support and herbivore deterrence. To better understand how and why plants accumulate silica in their bodies we ask:
Using phylogenetic comparative methods, modern experiments, and 2D/3D morphometric analyses of silica bodies in both modern and fossil plants, we tackle these questions by reconstructing phylogenetic patterns of silica levels and phytolith shape across land plants in general, and grasses specifically. |
Plant communities underwent major changes in the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene. Flowering plants (angiosperms), although taxonomically diverse, transitioned from being marginal in many ecosystems to becoming ecological dominants, as they are today. The end-Cretaceous saw environmental changes (e.g. Deccan volcanism, warming/cooling), and a major faunal collapse culminating in the extinction of dinosaurs and other animals at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary. In light of these ecosystem transformations, we wonder:
In collaboration with other paleobotanists, neo-ecologists, vertebrate paleontologists (in particular the Wilson lab and colleagues), geologists, and geochemists, we use plant macrofossils and microfossils to reconstruct plant ecological strategies, vegetation types, and environments through time and space during this critical time. |
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