Nicolas Mongiardino Koch

I am an evolutionary biologist interested in the processes that drive the diversification of living organisms. My research combines the inference of phylogenetic trees, which depict the relationships among species with the exploration of factors underlying contrasting evolutionary trajectories, such as those responsible for differences in species number, morphological disparity or ecological breadth. I focus mainly on sea urchins, a group that plays key roles in ensuring the functioning of biodiverse marine communities such as coral reefs and kelp forests.