CBER External Seminar - Dr Luis Valente, Naturalis Biodiversity Centre and Groningen University

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.