Bees are ecologically and behaviorally diverse, comprising over 20,000 known species from all continents. We study why. The Bossert lab works to define the natural history and evolution of bees, focusing on the when, where and how of bee biodiversity.

Research in the lab integrates multiple lines of evidence towards a single principal goal: understanding native bee biodiversity and evolution. From phylogeny and comparative methods to genomics and insect collections—we gather evidence from a wide array of sources and test hypothesis that pertain present-day life history of bees as well as long-gone events.

A main focus of the Bossert lab is phylogeny – the study of evolutionary relationships among bee species, genera, and families. Phylogeny is key to understanding bee natural history and the lab has a strong focus on improving phylogenetic methods and best practices, as well as applying cutting edge phylogenetics to empirical study systems.

Phylogeny builds the foundation for phylogenetic comparative methods, divergence time estimates and study of historical biogeography. Using phylogenetic trees, we establish past species diversification dynamics, and test hypotheses on bee diets, climate and nesting.

We study bee biodiversity. There are over 20,000 known bee species but many remain to be discovered, described, studied, and documented. We carry out (alpha)taxonomic work on bees and study how the live.

More and more bee genomes are being sequenced. A newfound focus of the lab is the genome evolution of bees. We think that bees have the potential to serve as a great model system for understanding genomic change.

Altogether, we call this Bee Biodiversity Discover.

Check out the pretty bees section for bee photos and illustrations!