Title: What Do Ecosystems Look Like? Geometry in Evolution and Ecology

Abstract: How do scientists make sense of ecosystems made up of hundreds, or even thousands, of interacting species? Whether we’re studying the evolution of birds or the microbes living in soil, one surprising tool keeps showing up: geometry.

In this talk, we’ll explore how biologists and mathematicians use shapes, distances, and networks to understand complex biological systems. We’ll see how DNA data and ecological measurements can be turned into geometric pictures that reveal relationships among species, track evolutionary history, and uncover patterns in microbiomes.