[Ccb_faculty] FW: THURSDAY - CalBotSoc Botany Speaker: Dr. Ixchel S. González Ramírez

Mon Jun 9 13:15:07 PDT 2025

THURSDAY - CalBotSoc Botany Speaker: Dr. Ixchel S. González Ramírez

*From:* Membership [mailto:membership at calbotsoc.org]
*Sent:* Monday, June 9, 2025 9:00 AM
*To:* amy.litt at ucr.edu
*Subject:* THURSDAY - CalBotSoc Botany Speaker: Dr. Ixchel S. González
Ramírez

*THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2025 7-8 pm PT*

Botany Speaker
*Dr. Ixchel González Ramírez*

"Studies on the biology and evolution of Aytoniaceae: a liverwort way of
being a land plant"

*TALK DESCRIPTION*

Liverworts are a lineage of land plants that have maintained an independent
evolutionary trajectory for more than 400 million years. Since then, they
have independently resolved ecological and evolutionary challenges,
allowing them to be successful in a wide range of environments, from forest
canopies to deserts. As a result, liverworts have evolved unique
morphologies and life strategies compared to other land plants. In this
talk, I will argue that the unique liverwort way of being land-plants is
not only a fascinating subject but also highlights the need for special
considerations while conducting evolutionary research in this group. To
exemplify this at two contrasting evolutionary scales, I will discuss
recent research in liverworts in the family Aytoniaceae. At a broad
taxonomic scale, I will explain some of the challenges that arise when
studying the biogeographic evolution of a very old lineage, such as
Aytoniaceae. Solving some of these challenges required the implementation
of a new biogeographic model ("PAw GeoSSE +J"). At a fine taxonomic scale,
I studied the population structure of the widespread West-coast
endemic *Calasterella
californica*---a clade that diverged from its closest extant relative ca.
100 Mya---using genomic data. In this project I studied the genetic
structure of this lineage across California to understand whether the
often-assumed high dispersal ability of liverworts can maintain gene flow
across spatially distant populations. Instead, we found strongly divergent
populations that follow a geographic pattern, challenging our understanding
of the taxonomy in this group. Considering the uniqueness of bryophyte
biology when conducting evolutionary and conservation studies will enhance
our ability to make fair assessments of bryophyte diversity, as well as
framing the outstanding disparity in morphology and life cycles that
bryophytes bring to the table when studying land-plants evolution.

*Information and Zoom Link*
<https://calbotsoc.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e&id=8426ad1616&e=b69ac08598>

*BIO*

Dr. Ixchel González Ramírez is an evolutionary biologist interested in
liverworts. She recently graduated from UC Berkeley, obtaining her PhD in
Integrative Biology as a member of the BryoLab. During her PhD she studied
liverworts in the family Aytoniaceae, with a particular interest in its
geographic distribution patterns. She is currently a postdoctoral
researcher at UC Berkeley, and her newest research involves studying the
evolution of — the mysterious, understudied, yet potentially important
structure called — *ventral scales* in complex thalloid liverworts.

*JOIN US June 12th @ 7PM! *
<https://calbotsoc.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e&id=91d19cea44&e=b69ac08598>

*UPCOMING BOTANY TALKS*

*12-Jun:* Dr. Ixchel Sarahi Gonzalez Ramirez, UC Berkeley

*10-Jul: *Dr. Carrie M. Tribble, Department of Biology and Burke Museum,
University of Washington

*14-Aug:* Dr. German Vargas Gutierrez, Oregon State University

*11-Sep:* TBA

*9-Oct: *TBA

*13-Nov:* Marty Purdy, Assistant State Botanist, Endangered Plants Program,
New Mexico Forestry Division

*11-Dec: *TBA

*View Recordings of Past Talks on our YouTube Channel
<https://calbotsoc.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e&id=93a272b6b4&e=b69ac08598>*

*RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP*
<https://calbotsoc.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e&id=00e8fc3101&e=b69ac08598>

[image: Facebook]
<https://calbotsoc.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e&id=dd9f3d0b24&e=b69ac08598>

[image: Twitter]
<https://calbotsoc.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e&id=8a7b4528b6&e=b69ac08598>

[image: Link]
<https://calbotsoc.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e&id=544599aac1&e=b69ac08598>

[image: Website]
<https://calbotsoc.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e&id=d0cb71fd93&e=b69ac08598>

*Our mailing address is:*

California Botanical Society

1001 Valley Life Sciences Bldg

C/O Jepson Herbarium

Berkeley, CA 94720-2465

Add us to your address book
<https://calbotsoc.us7.list-manage.com/vcard?u=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e&id=f435e548fd>

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences
<https://calbotsoc.us7.list-manage.com/profile?u=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e&id=f435e548fd&e=b69ac08598&c=f8fcf97b8d>
or unsubscribe from this list
<https://calbotsoc.us7.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e&id=f435e548fd&t=b&e=b69ac08598&c=f8fcf97b8d>.

[image: Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp]
<https://login.mailchimp.com/signup/email-referral/?aid=c632809fa2b75323f2418bb1e>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.ucr.edu/pipermail/ccb_faculty/attachments/20250609/2cfd9a7e/attachment.htm>