Presented By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
EEB Thursday Seminar - VIRTUAL: (Re)building the coral tree of life: through ocean exploration, museum specimens and genomic discovery
Andrea Quattrini, Research Zoologist and Curator of Corals, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

Our weekly seminar series featuring internal and external speakers in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology. This seminar will be in-person and livestreaming on Zoom (link this page).
Abstract:
Corals and their relatives are some of the most ecologically important metazoans on earth, from shallow waters to the deep sea. With ocean conditions changing at rates faster than previously recognized, we must determine the factors that shape coral diversity across depth, space, and time. And because the drivers of marine diversity are poorly known in the largest environment on earth—the deep sea—I often focus my questions on processes that generate deep-sea coral diversity. Therefore, with collaborators across the world, I am combining genomic approaches with museum specimens and ocean exploration to rebuild the coral tree of life and answer fundamental questions regarding coral diversity.
Contact eebsemaccess@umich.edu for Zoom password at least 2 hours prior to event.
Abstract:
Corals and their relatives are some of the most ecologically important metazoans on earth, from shallow waters to the deep sea. With ocean conditions changing at rates faster than previously recognized, we must determine the factors that shape coral diversity across depth, space, and time. And because the drivers of marine diversity are poorly known in the largest environment on earth—the deep sea—I often focus my questions on processes that generate deep-sea coral diversity. Therefore, with collaborators across the world, I am combining genomic approaches with museum specimens and ocean exploration to rebuild the coral tree of life and answer fundamental questions regarding coral diversity.
Contact eebsemaccess@umich.edu for Zoom password at least 2 hours prior to event.