Dr. Milan Janda, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico, & Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic

Title:
Ecology and evolution of ants on both sides of the Pacific
 

Abstract:
The Indo-Pacific and Mexico are among the most diverse landscapes on earth. However, the interplay between abiotic and biotic factors driving the evolution and distribution of their insect diversity is still relatively unexplored.

Here, I provide an overview of our research focusing on the ecology and evolution of ants and other insects in the Indo-Pacific and Mexico. We use phylogenetic and community ecology approaches to study their evolutionary, biogeographic and ecological history across different gradients. We reconstruct how ants spread and diversify between islands, how they develop symbiotic relationships with plants or how their biogeographic origin may relate to their community assembly.