Biosciences Seminar Series - Winter 2020
30 January 2020 - 1pm - Zoology Museum
Inferring macroevolutionary processes from phylogenies and fossils
Dr Daniele Silvestro
Our Biosciences Seminar Series resumes for the 2020 winter term with a talk by Dr Daniele Silvestro from the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg. Daniele is a computational biologist, particularly interested in macroevolution, and broadly in Bayesian inference and stochastic processes.
Abstract
Present biodiversity represents a snapshot of a very long and complex evolutionary history, during which species and entire clades have originated, diversified and –to a large extent– gone extinct. Reliable estimates of the processes that have shaped diversity through time and in space are crucial to understanding present biodiversity patterns. Here, I present a suite of Bayesian models to infer different macroevolutionary processes including the dynamics of speciation, extinction and dispersal and the evolution of quantitative traits. These methods show that both phylogenies of extant taxa and the fossil record provide valuable information about past and present biodiversity, although their integration remains challenging. Finally, I will outline how artificial intelligence can help the development of an interdisciplinary approach interfacing earth sciences, palaeontology, and evolutionary biology to further improve our understanding of the processes driving the evolution of organisms and ecosystems.
Hope to see many of you - everyone most welcome to attend!
For the list of forthcoming seminars see here
For the list of forthcoming seminars see here
