Systematics | Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

You could have arrived at this page by clicking on either the biodiversity or the systematics button on the home page. Systematics is the study of biodiversity. Systematists use morphological (observable features or behavior) or molecular sequence (DNA, RNA, protein) data to infer the phylogeny (“family tree”) of species and more-inclusive groups, and are also the folks who use that information to name new species and create classifications that reflect the history of organisms. Systematists also study the spatial and historical geographic distributions of organisms and , generally, work toward understanding how the biodiversity we see on Earth today came about. UConn EEB has a long history of excellence in systematics which continues to this day. Here are the labs in EEB that study biodiversity. Some call themselves systematists and others call themselves ecologists, but all are interested in explaining biodiversity!

Photo	Name
Associate Professor	biodiversity\|ecology\|ecosystems\|plants	Robert Bagchi	The Bagchi Lab studies the processes that maintain biodiversity in natural ecosystems (particularly in the tropics), how human activity might affect this biodiversity, and the role of biodiversity in the provision of ecosystem functions/services.
Professor	biodiversity\|evolution\|genomics\|plants	Bernard Goffinet	The Goffinet Lab studies bryophytes and lichenized fungi, the evolution of spore dispersal mechanisms and breeding systems in mosses, and the evolution of multiple symbioses and photomorphism in lichens.
Professor	animals\|biodiversity\|evolution\|genomics\|herps\|insects	Elizabeth Jockusch	The Jockusch Lab studies phenotypic evolution, particularly evolution of development and evolution of phenotypic plasticity in basal insects and salamanders.
Professor	biodiversity\|evolution\|plants\|symbiosis	Louise Lewis	The L. Lewis Lab studies the systematics and evolution of green algae, especially terrestrial forms, the phylogeny of basal green plants, and the diversity of desert algae.
Professor	biodiversity\|evolution\|plants	Paul Lewis	The P. Lewis Lab develops statistical methods for Bayesian phylogenetic inference and model selection. Paul teaches Phylogenetics (EEB 5349), Introduction to Botany (BIOL 1110), and Evolutionary Biology (EEB 2245).
Professor	animals\|biodiversity\|conservation\|ecology\|insects\|invertebrates	David Wagner	The Wagner Lab studies systematics and phylogenetics, especially of the Lepidoptera, insect behavior and ecology, and invertebrate conservation.
Associate Professor	biodiversity\|evolution\|genomics\|plants	Yaowu Yuan	The Yuan Lab studies the genetics, development, and evolution of phenotypic diversity, the genetics of adaptation and speciation, plant-pollinator interactions, transposable elements and plant genomics, and plant molecular systematics.