Kamal Hossain - Advancing conservation of biodiversity by investigating spatial phylogenetics of plants in Colombia

Colombia, the world’s most biodiverse country.

Home institution and supervisors
Michael D. Martin, James D. M. Speed, Sarah Martin. NTNU, Norway.

Host institution and supervisors
Alejandro Zuluaga Trochez. Universidad del Valle, Colombia. 2023.

Project description
Colombia, located within the Tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot, is already known for its rich and diverse flora. Indeed, the actual number of plant taxa in Colombia is likely to be much higher than is currently known, as there are still many areas of the country that have not been thoroughly studied. The primary goal of this research is to use spatial phylogenetic analysis to understand the evolutionary patterns that influence the distribution and diversity of the flora in Colombia. By applying spatial phylogenetic measures and metrics, we hope to identify threatened taxonomic groups and guide conservation efforts.