The Gilbert lab brings together researchers interested in
evolutionary ecology and the conservation of natural ecosystems,
working in an interdisciplinary environment of natural and social scientists.

Important themes include:
• phylogenetic analysis of biological communities
• biological invasions
• plant disease ecology and the maintenance of biodiversity
• forest dynamics
• the role of science in conservation and quarantine policy
• conservation, forest fragmentation, and biotic-abiotic interactions
• emerging diseases
• fungal community ecology

Research questions are grounded in theory but tied directly to conservation issues.

We have ongoing work in California, Panama, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

We use manipulative experiments in the field and greenhouse,
observational studies in long-term forest plots,
molecular and phylogenetic analyses of biodiversity, spatial analyses,
lab-based physiological studies, stakeholder interviews, policy analysis,
and other methods as driven by the questions.