DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Integrating morphology, molecules and ecology to understand diversification and species coexistence within the Madagascar olive, Noronhia (Oleaceae)

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The evolutionary origin of Madagascar's amazingly rich biodiversity remains a great unknown. Almost every group of organisms occurring on the island is exceptionally diverse and often unique to the island. Noronhia, the Madagascar olive, exemplifies this situation and serves as a model for understanding plant diversification on the island. This project seeks to evaluate diversification in Noronhia through: 1) reassessment of species boundaries and generic diversity based on morphological data; 2) inference of evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships using DNA sequences, and; 3) examination of morphology, phylogenetic relationships, and ecology among species co-occurring in a single locality. Protecting the Malagasy biota is a challenging endeavor when the human struggle for daily subsistence largely outweighs the need for conservation and more scientific investigation. Results from this study, disseminated among conservation agencies and through peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences, will provide a sound taxonomic framework on which to base an effective conservation strategy. This study of Noronhia will help us to understand the radiation of an ecologically important Malagasy plant genus and databases of herbarium specimens, morphological characters, and DNA sequences will be made available to the public.