What drew you to the research topic you explored in your submission?

I explored plant diversification in the Chocó Biogeographic region, a biodiversity hotspot extending from Panama, through western Colombia and into Ecuador, which is entirely contained in the study region of this paper, for my master’s thesis, and I knew I wanted to continue this work with ferns in my PhD. When I met my co-author, Robbin Moran, during an internship at the Missouri Botanical Garden in 2023, he shared his earlier work studying the ferns and lycophytes of the Chocó with me. After several discussions about biogeographic patterns of ferns and lycophytes of this region, we decided that we should determine the full list of species that exhibit a Mesoamerican – western Andean distribution as a baseline for future evolutionary investigations.

How do you see your work contributing to public policy, citizen science, and/or science education more broadly?

Before we can protect biodiversity or ask deeper evolutionary and ecological questions, we have to know what species are out there and where they occur. That’s why collections-based taxonomy matters—and why it deserves more recognition and support. Likewise, mapping and explaining diversity in biodiversity hotspots gives policymakers the information they need to focus scarce conservation resources strategically.

What are your continuing research goals for the future (near or far)? What topics, areas, subjects are you interested in exploring?

The driving motivation of my research – in this paper and in all my work – is to understand how and why there is an unequal distribution of plant diversity on Earth. I am investigating this question at 2 different scales: flora-wide in biodiversity hotspots across the Tropical Americas and within a single lineage of tropical ferns called Pleopeltis. I am studying how certain features of Pleopeltis – traits that seem beneficial – may have helped different species move into and succeed in different habitats. This work has led me to recognize several undescribed species in this genus, and I hope to write a Pleopeltis monograph (comprehensive taxonomic treatment of all species in the genus) in the future. You can read more about my research interests on my website.

Is there anything else you want to share about you and/or your research?

Ferns of the American Tropics are a fascinating group to study, and there are so many questions still left to answer. One of the greatest privileges of my training has been traveling throughout Latin America, working in biodiversity hotspots, and building relationships with botanists and communities closest to these ecosystems. I want to carry that spirit of collaboration forward and contribute to a more accessible, inclusive botanical community, because science is strongest when it includes more perspectives.