Introductory seminar: " Dispersal as a driver of diversification "

Laureen’s focus is on long-distance dispersal of plants and how this may impact biodiversity and occurrence of invasive species, see more below. 

Her  main supervisor is Anthony Verboom  (BioEnv) with Nicola G Bergh (Gothenburg Botanical Garden) och Felix Forest (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, UK) as co-supervisors, and examiner is Bengt Oxelman (BioEnv).

Abstract

Long-distance dispersal is the movement of a species from one geographic area to another. In a contemporary setting, the establishment of non-native species following long-distance dispersal is commonly considered a threat to biodiversity owing to the invasive success of many alien species. However, long-distance dispersal has occurred throughout biological time and there is evidence to suggest that historic long-distance dispersal has significantly contributed to global biodiversity due to stimulating diversification. My research will use the southern African Asteraceae as a study system to test this hypothesis and will explore some of the factors that could modulate the impact of dispersal on diversification at different spatial and temporal scales. In this seminar, I will introduce the topic and present the more specific questions I aim to answer during my PhD studies.