BIO
I am originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, and I received my BSc in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida in 2014. After several field ecology jobs and a stint in plant records at the Atlanta Botanic Garden in Atlanta, Georgia, I travelled to London to earn my MSc in Plant Taxonomy from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was there that I was introduced to the unique and hyper-diverse Chocó Biogeographic Region in northwest South America. I wrote my master’s thesis on the origin and diversification of the aroid mega-genus Anthurium in the Chocó and have continued studying the plants of the Chocó ever since. As part of the NSF-funded Ferns of Colombia project led by Michael Sundue, Wes Testo and Alejandra Vasco, I am now collecting ferns in this biodiversity hotspot for my dissertation (follow #FernsOfColombia for updates). In addition to research, I enjoy sewing, crochet and outdoor adventures with my rescue pup, Teeny, and my rabbit, Gouda.
I am interested in the macroevolutionary patterns of speciation, or more specifically, how and why is there an unequal distribution of plants on Earth? I am investigating this question at 2 different scales: flora-wide (the fern flora of the Chocó Biogeographic Region) and within a single lineage (Pleopeltis, Polypodiaceae). At the flora scale, I am investigating the dynamics of speciation, extinction and migration that have shaped the lowland Chocoan fern flora and what role abiotic factors such as climate and mountain building played in its diversification. Within the fern genus Pleopeltis, I am investigating questions about the intersection of traits, ecological niche, and speciation in addition to exploring the systematics and taxonomy of this group, which is found throughout the American Tropics.
You can follow my research on Google Scholar and Twitter.
Bio
I am originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, and I received my BSc in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida in 2014. After several field ecology jobs and a stint in plant records at the Atlanta Botanic Garden in Atlanta, Georgia, I travelled to London to earn my MSc in Plant Taxonomy from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was there that I was introduced to the unique and hyper-diverse Chocó Biogeographic Region in northwest South America. I wrote my master’s thesis on the origin and diversification of the aroid mega-genus Anthurium in the Chocó and have continued studying the plants of the Chocó ever since. As part of the NSF-funded Ferns of Colombia project led by Michael Sundue, Wes Testo and Alejandra Vasco, I am now collecting ferns in this biodiversity hotspot for my dissertation (follow #FernsOfColombia for updates). In addition to research, I enjoy sewing, crochet and outdoor adventures with my rescue pup, Teeny, and my rabbit, Gouda.
I am interested in the macroevolutionary patterns of speciation, or more specifically, how and why is there an unequal distribution of plants on Earth? I am investigating this question at 2 different scales: flora-wide (the fern flora of the Chocó Biogeographic Region) and within a single lineage (Pleopeltis, Polypodiaceae). At the flora scale, I am investigating the dynamics of speciation, extinction and migration that have shaped the lowland Chocoan fern flora and what role abiotic factors such as climate and mountain building played in its diversification. Within the fern genus Pleopeltis, I am investigating questions about the intersection of traits, ecological niche, and speciation in addition to exploring the systematics and taxonomy of this group, which is found throughout the American Tropics.
You can follow my research on Google Scholar and Twitter.