Research in the Evolutionary Ecology lab at UH Hilo

We are broadly interested in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology, both in Hawaii and globally.  In particular, we generally study questions related to the ecology of speciation and extinction.  We are highly collaborative and use a variety of research techniques including phylogenetics and phylogenomics, experimental and comparative methods, and large-scale quantitative analyses of the fossil record.  A few of the projects that we are currently working on include:

1) Using phylogenomic approaches to resolve the evolutionary history and aid in the conservation biology of native Hawaiian and South Pacific island plants.

2) Using global-scale data sets of ecological predictors of extinction risk in marine and terrestrial animals in the modern biodiversity crisis and comparing these relationships to what we find in the fossil record, including across mass extinction events.

3) Using quantitative paleobiology to investigate the relationships between taxonomic diversity (e.g., the number of species or genera) and ecological diversity (e.g., modes of life) in living animals and in the fossil record and how these relationships have evolved over time.

4) Studying the possible effects of warming sea surface temperatures on Hawaiian intertidal invertebrate and algal communities.

Please also see “People” in this website to learn more about the lab members working on each of these projects or the link below to the Keaohou profile by Susan Enright to learn more about the research going on in the lab.