Unraveling rain forest biodiversity: an interview with Thomas Couvreur

Abstract

Abstract Thomas Couvreur is a researcher and botanist at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), based in Montpellier, France, studying tropical biosystems. He is using diverse approaches—from taxonomy, molecular phylogenetics, phylogeography, to modeling species distribution—to understand the evolution and resilience of biodiversity in rain forests. In this interview, Thomas describes the ongoing research in his lab, the most urgent challenges and opportunities in biodiversity research, and the importance of knowing how to code.

Keywords

• Biodiversity
• Tropical rain forest
• Taxonomy
• Ecosystems
• Palms