Conservation biology; Ecology; and Evolution
Current research interests include: 1) understanding mechanisms of species coexistence in species-rich communities; 2) testing metacommunity theory in laboratory and natural communities; 3) using phylogenetic relationships to infer mechanisms of plant community assembly (i.e., ecophylogenetics); 4) studying historical processes of community assembly at multiple spatial scales; and 5) determining processes and patterns of successful plant invasions.