Renata Pirani (UCLA) 

Title
Exploring Species Evolutionary Dynamics in the Neotropics

Short Abstract
The Neotropics harbor some of the highest levels of biodiversity on Earth, yet the processes that generate and maintain this diversity are still not fully understood. In this talk, I will explore how historical climate change, geographic complexity, and environmental gradients have shaped the evolutionary dynamics of species in tropical ecosystems. Using examples primarily from amphibians, I will illustrate how species respond to environmental variation across space and time, combining genomic data, geographic information, and environmental variables. I will also discuss how understanding past evolutionary responses can help us anticipate how species may respond to ongoing and future climate change, with implications for conservation planning in the Neotropics.