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CBER External Seminar - Dr Luis Valente, Naturalis Biodiversity Centre and Groningen University
17 January 2023, 1:00 pm–2:00 pm
Title: 'Island: laboratories of evolution threatened by anthropogenic extinction'
Event Information
Open to
- UCL staff | UCL students | UCL alumni
Availability
- Yes
Organiser
-
Amy Godfrey
Location
-
Watson Lecture TheatreMedawar Building---
Abstract: Islands are the setting of some of nature’s most spectacular species radiations but they are also at the frontline of the anthropogenic extinction crisis. These opposing forces need to be simultaneously considered if we want to understand how biodiversity on islands has emerged, how it is regulated and how it will change in the future. Using case studies from a variety of islands and taxonomic groups, I will discuss how phylogenetic and macroevolutionary studies are contributing to our understanding of biodiversity and extinction in isolated biological communities.
About the Speaker
Dr Luis Valente
Senior Researcher and Assistant Professor at Naturalis Biodiversity Centre and Groningen University
Luis Valente is a biogeographer and evolutionary biologist focusing on islands and biodiversity hotspots. He uses modelling, molecular data, phylogenies and field studies to investigate evolution and the impacts of anthropogenic extinctions in isolated environments. He is a senior researcher at Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Netherlands).
More about Dr Luis Valente