DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The latitudinal gradient in plant diversity: evidence from the sedges.

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With more than 300,000 species found across almost every life zone on Earth, plants play a pivotal role in the lives of all organisms on this planet. However, the vast majority of plant species are only found in Earth's equatorial belt. This phenomenon, known as the latitudinal diversity gradient, is poorly understood although recent investigations have identified several key hypotheses. In this project, the PI's will employ direct tests of the main prediction from these hypotheses: that rates of species diversification differ predictably with distance from the equator. This hypothesis will be tested using an exceptionally diverse and ecologically significant group of plants: the sedges. The results of this research will address how interactions between diversification, geographic contingency, and ecological adaptation have generated current patterns of diversity in plants. This research has the potential to dramatically change the way that society thinks about the evolution of biodiversity, and the conclusions will substantially advance understanding of the processes that generate it. These results will have tangible scientific value to all researchers studying biodiversity, evolutionary ecology, or any aspect of sedge biology. The PI's will also promote teaching, training, and learning in the public community at large during the course of this research.