Daniel Spalink

Daniel Spalink, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the department of Ecology and Conservation Biology and Director of the S.M. Tracy Herbarium. His research focuses on understanding the origin and extent of plant biodiversity to better quantify the drivers of speciation and develop proactive strategies for conserving biodiversity on a changing planet. Work in the Spalink Lab centers around three primary questions: 1. What is the extent of biodiversity in and across landscapes? There are many dimensions to diversity – e.g, species richness, phylogenetic diversity, morphological and functional diversity, beta diversity, etc. We study the evolutionary, ecological, and biogeographical processes that have contributed to the spatial structure of diversity that we observe today, how this has changed throughout history, and what we might expect in the future. 2. Where did this diversity come from? We integrate phylogenetics with historical biogeography, ecology, and morphometrics to identify the drivers of diversification across space and through time. We are particularly interested in the role of niche evolution in lineage splitting. 3. How can we protect this diversity in the future? We are rapidly losing biodiversity, and rates of extinction are expected to continue to rise. We use phylogenetics, populations genetics, and species distribution models to develop actionable conservation strategies to protect the diversity of linages and floras.