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D. Luke Mahler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on understanding the ecological and evolutionary factors that combine to generate biodiversity across large spatial and temporal scales. His recent work involves the study of adaptive radiation, particularly how local ecological conditions change over short periods of time, contributing to long-lasting patterns of macroevolutionary diversity. He addresses critical questions through multidisciplinary research, investigating repeated adaptive radiations in neotropical anole lizards, both in island and mainland habitats. Mahler combines field ecology, phylogenetics, and statistical modeling to explore how the rate of evolution varies with interspecific competition and whether outcomes of adaptive radiation in similar environments are influenced more by deterministic factors or by the contingent nature of historical events. His interests also extend to how human activities impact the processes that generate and maintain biodiversity patterns on a large scale, focusing on the introduction of non-native anole species in the Caribbean and analyzing the roles of natural versus anthropogenic factors in shaping current and future species diversity.
Department of Sociology