I am in interested in how, why and when species form. Why do assemblages have the species they do? To what extent is this a product of rare events such as dispersal and continental vicariance vs ecological adaptation? How do species evolve as they interact with other plants and animals and the physical environment? Modern research tools are allowing inferences about past processes to be melded with observations of current changes in communities, species and populations, that result from environmental change that is the direct result of excessive exploitation of the Earth by humans.