Zoe Diaz-Martin, Ph.D.

Biography

Faculty Member Since 2023

Zoe Diaz-Martin is an Assistant Professor of Biology.

Zoe Diaz-Martin, Ph.D. utilizes contemporary genetic and genomic techniques to understand how ecological and evolutionary processes shape patterns of gene flow and genetic diversity in plant populations. Genetic diversity and variation are crucial for maintaining a species’ evolutionary potential, or their ability to respond to environmental changes.

As a molecular ecologist, Dr. Diaz-Martin explores the intersection of eco-evolutionary processes and their implications for conservation. Specifically, Diaz-Martin uses a conservation lens to understand how habitat fragmentation and loss, as well as climate, shape ecological processes and resulting patterns of genetic diversity and gene flow in plant populations.

Dr. Diaz-Martin investigates these processes in the context of:

1. Dispersal in fragmented landscapes
2. Responses to climate variation
3. Effective management of endangered plant species

By bridging the gap between ecological factors and their ultimate genetic outcomes, Dr. Diaz-Martin's work advances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying eco-evolutionary dynamics in wild plant populations, with significant implications for the conservation of threatened and managed plant species.

Curriculum Vitae 

Personal Website 

Education

• Postdoctoral Research Associate – Chicago Botanic Garden

• Ph.D. – Tulane University

• B.A. – Connecticut College

Courses Taught

BIO 110 Lab

Research Interests

Ecology, Evolution, Conservation, Evolutionary and Population Genetics, Tropical Biology

Select Publications

Diaz-Martin Z, De Vitis M, Havens K, Kramer AT, MacKechnie LM, Fant J. (2023). Species-specific effects of production practices on genetic diversity in plant reintroduction programs. Evolutionary Applications. 6(12):1956-1968. doi: 10.1111/eva.13614. PDF

Diaz-Martin Z., Cisternas-Fuentes A., Kay K.M., Raguso R.A., Skogen K., and J.B. Fant. (2023). Reproductive strategies and their consequences for divergence, gene flow, and genetic diversity in three taxa of Clarkia. Heredity. PDF.

Diaz-Martin Z, Fant JB, Havens K, Cinea W, Tucker Lima JM, Griffith MP. (2023). Current management practices do not adequately safeguard endangered plant species in conservation collections. Biological Conservation. 280 (109955). PDF

Diaz-Martin Z, Browne L, Cabrera D**, Olivo J**, Karubian J. (2023). Impacts of flowering density on pollen dispersal and gametic diversity are scale dependent. The American Naturalist. 201(1): 52-63. PDF

Diaz-Martin Z, Karubian J. (2021). Forest cover at landscape scales increases male and female gametic diversity of palm seedlings. Molecular Ecology. 30:4353–4367. PDF