Our primary focus is on the investigation of speciation in plants, with an emphasis on rapid and adaptive diversifications. In several projects we investigate the mechanisms of diversifications during colonization processes and the role of hybridization and polyploidization in plant evolution:

1) Biological invasions as example for recent range expansions and currently ongoing adaptation;

2) Insular radiations: historical colonization events  that led to adaptive speciation;

3) Polyploidy and the impact of interspecific gene flow and multiple origin, i.e. the unidirectional gene flow from a lower into a higher ploidy level on speciation and adaptability.