YIP+: Testing the effect of speciation history on the geographic rarity of species using the Tree of Life (RARITREE)

Most species are geographically rare, i.e. restricted to a small area, and hence vulnerable to environmental change. Understanding the reasons for their rarity is crucial for their conservation. This project will use cutting-edge genomic techniques to test the idea that new species are “born rare”, and that the prevalence of rare species is, at least partly, because many species are young and have not yet had the time to spread to all the places in which they can thrive. The grant will fund one postdoc and one Ph.D. student.