I am interested in the evolutionary processes that originate “mega-diverse” biotic assemblages and the role of ecology in shaping the evolution of diversity. My program studies the evolution of Neotropical freshwater fishes, the most diverse freshwater fish fauna on earth, with an estimate exceeding 7,000 species. We use the family Cichlidae as a model because it is an iconic subject of study in vertebrate adaptive evolution and the third most diverse clade of Neotropical fishes. My lab combines molecular phylogenetics and phylogeny-based comparative methods to integrate ecology, functional morphology, life histories and geography into analyses of macroevolutionary patterns of freshwater fish diversification. In collaboration with colleagues, we are also starting to compare patterns of diversification in cichlids with those in other major Neotropical clades such as Loricariidae and some families of Characiformes. My research program relies heavily on fieldwork that aims to 1) explore previously unknown regions of the Neotropics, 2) discover undetected biodiversity, 3) collect ecological information for our evolutionary studies and 4) document poorly known Neotropical fish diversity and promote its conservation.

Related topics

• Phylogenetic theory, phylogenomics and comparative methods

• The use of the fossil record in dating molecular phylogenies and accounting for extinction of lineages and phenotypes

• Biomechanics, functional morphology and life history evolution

• Community phylogenetics and the integration of ecological and evolutionary time

• Uses of Next Generation Sequencing and coalescent methods in phylogeography and species delimitation

• The role of phylogenetic information in supporting conservation of biodiversity

• Discovery and documentation of biodiversity in remote, poorly explored tropical regions