Research in the Tank Lab focuses on the use of molecular methods to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships in plants and the application of phylogenetic methods to understand plant evolution.  The evolutionary causes and consequences of processes such as hybridization, polyploidy, pollination biology, biogeography, rapid diversification, and niche evolution can only be understood in light of a robust phylogenetic hypothesis.

Research in the lab focuses on multiple levels of plant phylogeny.  Current projects range from closely related species in the large genus Castilleja (paintbrushes) and its relatives in the the parasitic plant family Orobanchaceae, to patterns of diversification among the major lineages comprising the Campanulidae - a group of more than 30,000 species of flowering plants in the Asteridae. 

The flora of Idaho, the Northern Rockies, and Western North America provides a rich source of research projects that can explore fundamental questions of plant evolution and natural history.

Check out the research page to learn more about how we use phylogenies to address evolutionary questions in plants and to better understand plant biodiversity.