Format: ORAL

Ana M. Bedoya

Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University

Decades of empirical research have revealed how the geological history of our planet shaped plantevolution by establishing well-known patterns (e.g., how mountain uplift resulted in high rates ofdiversification and replicate radiations in montane plant taxa). Under this approach, information is passed from geology to botany by interpreting data in light of geological processes. Instead, in this synthesis, Idescribe how by integrating natural history, phylogenetics, and population genetics, botanical researchcan inform our understanding of past geological and climatic processes. This conceptual shift aligns withthe goals of the emerging field of geogenomics. In the Neotropics, plant geogenomics is a powerful toolfor the reciprocal exploration of two long standing questions in biology and geology: how the dynamiclandscape of the region came to be and how it shaped the evolution of the richest flora.I describewhat makes some groupsof plants excellent model systems for geogenomics research.