Abstract: The mountain ranges of the central and southern United States have long been considered enigmatic, both for their sustained topographic relief and exceptional levels of freshwater biodiversity. In my talk, I will propose that the erosion through heterogeneous bedrock is an important mechanism for explaining the topography and freshwater biodiversity of these post-orogenic landscapes. As ancient geologic structures are exhumed through erosion, rocks with different chemical and physical properties are exposed at the surface of the landscape. This process does not only influence landscape dynamics, but also generates opportunities for speciation in freshwater fishes.

Bio: I received a BS in Earth Science from Rice University and a PhD in Geology at MIT where I worked with Dr. Taylor Perron. I went onto a postdoctoral fellow in the Yale Institute for Biospheric studies where I worked with Dr. Thomas Near on freshwater fish phylogenetics. In my research I incorporate research techniques from the Earth sciences with phylogenetic information to investigate whether and how Earth surface processes shape the evolution and distribution of biodiversity.

For zoom link please email jseymens@stanfor.edu & xc272@stanford.edu