Robert Comito

Joined: Dec 21, 2019 Last Active: Mar 14, 2024

I am a third year PhD student at California Botanic Garden and Claremont Graduate University. I was born and raised in Southern California. I received a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Environmental Biology from University of California, Berkeley. While there, I also developed a passion for plants, assisting in the Dodd lab researching population genetics of California oaks. I also have a Master of Science in Biology from California State University, Long Beach. There, under the guidance of my advisor Dr. Amanda Fisher, I worked on systematics study of the charismatic genus of shrubs Barleria in the tropical angiosperm family Acanthaceae. Understanding and conserving biodiversity drives my interest in phylogenetics and population genetics at multiple scales.

My dissertation is focused on evolution, biogeography, and conservation at two very different scales, a phylogenomic study of the global tropical lineage Barlerieae (Acanthaceae) and a population genomics study the narrow Southern California endemic, Ross's pitcher sage (Lepechinia rossii).

As a Southern California native, I'm eager to see the preservation, conservation, and restoration of our local flora and help instill a greater appreciation for it in the public consciousness.

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