• Ny Munkegade 116, 1137, 224

    8000 Aarhus C

    Denmark

20092024

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Research

Biodiversity - the diversity of living organisms - is something we humans are surrounded by, fascinated by, and dependent on. But how, when, and where did biodiversity originate? Why is it unevenly distributed across the globe, with approximately half of the world’s biodiversity concentrated in tropical rainforests, which occupy less than 10% of the world’s land area? And why are there only a few species of animals, plants, or fungi that exist in many places, while most are limited to very small areas? My research aims to answer these and other fundamental biodiversity questions using genomic and biogeographic methods, with a focus on flowering plants (approximately 330,000 species) and especially palms (approximately 2,500 species).

Cooperation and dissemination

In addition to Aarhus University, I am also affiliated with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, one of the world’s leading research institutions in plant science. A significant part of my research takes place in close collaboration with colleagues at Kew. Currently, we have joint projects focused on the phylogeny of flowering plants and palms, as well as the origin of rainforests, with a specific emphasis on Madagascar.

I also collaborate with colleagues at other research institutions and universities in several countries including France, Germany, Madagascar, Switzerland, the UK and the USA.

 

Teaching

In my group, you can learn how to reconstruct the ‘tree of life’ - the family tree that shows the relationships between all living species - based on DNA sequences, and how to use this tree to explain the origin and distribution of biodiversity across the globe. I teach phylogenetic methods, botany, biogeography, and macroecology, and I regularly supervise BSc, MSc, PhD and postdoc projects within my area. Working with me, you’ll improve your skills in various relevant methods, such as programming, bioinformatics, and geographic information systems (GIS), in addition to gaining a deeper understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes. 

Keywords

  • Biodiversity
  • plant diversity
  • palms (Arecaceae)
  • Evolution
  • phylogenomics
  • Tropical ecosystems
  • tropical rain forest
  • Ecology
  • macroecology
  • biogeography

Areas of expertise

  • Biodiversity
  • Botany
  • Phylogenomics
  • Biogeography
  • Macroecology

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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  • Plant phylogeny as a window on the evolution of hyperdiversity in the tropical rainforest biome

    Eiserhardt, W. L., Couvreur, T. L. P. & Baker, W. J., 1 Jun 2017, In: New Phytologist. 214, 4, p. 1408-1422 15 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperReviewResearchpeer-review

    61 Citations (Scopus)
  • A roadmap for global synthesis of the plant tree of life

    Eiserhardt, W. L., Antonelli, A., Bennett, D. J., Botigue, L. R., Burleigh, J. G., Dodsworth, S., Enquist, B. J., Forest, F., Kim, J. T., Kozlov, A. M., Leitch, I. J., Maitner, B. S., Mirarab, S., Piel, W. H., Perez-Escobar, O. A., Pokorny, L., Rahbek, C., Sandel, B., Smith, S. A. & Stamatakis, A. & 3 others, Vos, R. A., Warnow, T. & Baker, W. J., Mar 2018, In: American Journal of Botany. 105, 3, p. 614-622 9 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    27 Citations (Scopus)
  • Factors Affecting Targeted Sequencing of 353 Nuclear Genes From Herbarium Specimens Spanning the Diversity of Angiosperms

    Brewer, G. E., Clarkson, J. J., Maurin, O., Zuntini, A. R., Barber, V., Bellot, S., Biggs, N., Cowan, R. S., Davies, N. M. J., Dodsworth, S., Edwards, S. L., Eiserhardt, W. L., Epitawalage, N., Frisby, S., Grall, A., Kersey, P. J., Pokorny, L., Leitch, I. J., Forest, F. & Baker, W. J., 18 Sept 2019, In: Frontiers in Plant Science. 10, p. 1-14 14 p., 1102.

    Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    107 Citations (Scopus)
  • A Universal Probe Set for Targeted Sequencing of 353 Nuclear Genes from Any Flowering Plant Designed Using k-Medoids Clustering

    Johnson, M. G., Pokorny, L., Dodsworth, S., Botigué, L. R., Cowan, R. S., Devault, A., Eiserhardt, W. L., Epitawalage, N., Forest, F., Kim, J. T., Leebens-Mack, J. H., Leitch, I. J., Maurin, O., Soltis, D. E., Soltis, P. S., Wong, G. K. S., Baker, W. J. & Wickett, N. J., 1 Jul 2019, In: Systematic Biology. 68, 4, p. 594-606 13 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    Open Access
    File
    330 Citations (Scopus)
    179 Downloads (Pure)
  • Taxonomy based on science is necessary for global conservation

    Thomson, S. A., Pyle, R. L., Ahyong, S. T., Alonso-Zarazaga, M., Ammirati, J., Araya, J. F., Ascher, J. S., Audisio, T. L., Azevedo-Santos, V. M., Bailly, N., Baker, W. J., Balke, M., Barclay, M. V. L., Barrett, R. L., Benine, R. C., Bickerstaff, J. R. M., Bouchard, P., Bour, R., Bourgoin, T. & Boyko, C. B. & 164 others, Breure, A. S. H., Brothers, D. J., Byng, J. W., Campbell, D., Ceríaco, L. M. P., Cernák, I., Cerretti, P., Chang, C. H., Cho, S., Copus, J. M., Costello, M. J., Cseh, A., Csuzdi, C., Culham, A., D’Elía, G., d’Udekem d’Acoz, C., Daneliya, M. E., Dekker, R., Dickinson, E. C., Dickinson, T. A., van Dijk, P. P., Dijkstra, K. D. B., Dima, B., Dmitriev, D. A., Duistermaat, L., Dumbacher, J. P., Eiserhardt, W. L., Ekrem, T., Evenhuis, N. L., Faille, A., Fernández-Triana, J. L., Fiesler, E., Fishbein, M., Fordham, B. G., Freitas, A. V. L., Friol, N. R., Fritz, U., Frøslev, T., Funk, V. A., Gaimari, S. D., Garbino, G. S. T., Garraffoni, A. R. S., Geml, J., Gill, A. C., Gray, A., Grazziotin, F. G., Greenslade, P., Gutiérrez, E. E., Harvey, M. S., Hazevoet, C. J., He, K., He, X., Helfer, S., Helgen, K. M., van Heteren, A. H., Hita Garcia, F., Holstein, N., Horváth, M. K., Hovenkamp, P. H., Hwang, W. S., Hyvönen, J., Islam, M. B., Iverson, J. B., Ivie, M. A., Jaafar, Z., Jackson, M. D., Jayat, J. P., Johnson, N. F., Kaiser, H., Klitgård, B. B., Knapp, D. G., Kojima, J. I., Kõljalg, U., Kontschán, J., Krell, F. T., Krisai-Greilhuber, I., Kullander, S., Latella, L., Lattke, J. E., Lencioni, V., Lewis, G. P., Lhano, M. G., Lujan, N. K., Luksenburg, J. A., Mariaux, J., Marinho-Filho, J., Marshall, C. J., Mate, J. F., McDonough, M. M., Michel, E., Miranda, V. F. O., Mitroiu, M. D., Molinari, J., Monks, S., Moore, A. J., Moratelli, R., Murányi, D., Nakano, T., Nikolaeva, S., Noyes, J., Ohl, M., Oleas, N. H., Orrell, T., Páll-Gergely, B., Pape, T., Papp, V., Parenti, L. R., Patterson, D., Pavlinov, I. Y., Pine, R. H., Poczai, P., Prado, J., Prathapan, D., Rabeler, R. K., Randall, J. E., Rheindt, F. E., Rhodin, A. G. J., Rodríguez, S. M., Rogers, D. C., Roque, F. D. O., Rowe, K. C., Ruedas, L. A., Salazar-Bravo, J., Salvador, R. B., Sangster, G., Sarmiento, C. E., Schigel, D. S., Schmidt, S., Schueler, F. W., Segers, H., Snow, N., Souza-Dias, P. G. B., Stals, R., Stenroos, S., Stone, R. D., Sturm, C. F., Štys, P., Teta, P., Thomas, D. C., Timm, R. M., Tindall, B. J., Todd, J. A., Triebel, D., Valdecasas, A. G., Vizzini, A., Vorontsova, M. S., de Vos, J. M., Wagner, P., Watling, L., Weakley, A., Welter-Schultes, F., Whitmore, D., Wilding, N., Will, K., Williams, J., Wilson, K., Winston, J. E., Wüster, W., Yanega, D., Yeates, D. K., Zaher, H., Zhang, G., Zhang, Z. Q. & Zhou, H. Z., 14 Mar 2018, In: PLoS Biology. 16, 3, e2005075.

    Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    Open Access
    193 Citations (Scopus)