Biodiversity is all of life and we are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis which will impact our own survival. We will explore some of the ecological and evolutionary processes that interact to shape biodiversity through time. We will also focus on new technological developments that are revolutionizing biodiversity science from the perspective of genes, species and ecosystems. Emerging opportunities to study biodiversity through the lens of bioinformatics and biotechnology will also be explored.
About the Speaker
Robert Hanner is a Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph and the inaugural Director of the Biodiversity institute for Conservation Synthesis. He is known for his expertise in molecular biodiversity research, with a primary focus on the DNA-based identification of species. Dr. Hanner and his team have been instrumental in developing advanced biomonitoring systems that involve environmental DNA (eDNA) detection capabilities, which are now being used by the environmental services sector to detect aquatic species at risk, invasive alien species and other important ecosystem components. He has also led research focused on the DNA-based identification of food products to detect mislabeling and fraud.
Presented by University of Guelph