We investigate how biodiversity evolves in extreme environments. In a recent study, we used dense nuclear genomic sampling to reconstruct the first robust phylogeny of Lake Baikal sculpins, one of the world’s most remarkable adaptive radiations. We found that pelagic, bathybenthic, and lotic ecomorphologies evolved multiple times, each with striking shifts in body form and life history. Our results highlight depth and habitat as key drivers of diversification, while underscoring urgent conservation concerns.

Lentic waters of the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Plain (GACP) include some of the most acidic environments found in subtropical latitudes. Fishes of this ecoregion have adapted to life in hyperthermal, hypoxic, and hyperacidic conditions, and natural selection may have influenced the physiology of independent lineages in a similar fashion. We are examining the evolution of the Electron Transport Chain to assess the functional consequences of extraordinary mtDNA variation observed in certain lentic fishes of the GACP.

In collaboration with academic and agency partners, we examine how energy budgets shape adaptation in extreme environments. Our work on cave-adapted sculpins, amblyopsid cavefishes, and nemacheilid loaches shows repeated evolutionary changes to the electron transport chain, reflecting metabolic adjustments to life in darkness and nutrient scarcity. These shifts parallel reductions in costly traits like vision and pigmentation, highlighting trade-offs that optimize survival underground. By integrating genomics and physiology, we are uncovering how natural selection rewires cellular energetics during extreme ecological transitions.