William Perez
Ph.D. Candidate, The New York Botanical Garden
Ph.D. Program in Biology, The City University of New YorkNew York, NY 10016-4309
Expertise: Systematics of green algae
Profile
My dissertation project is focused on the freshwater green algal genus Tolypella, a member of the Characeae which is an evolutionarily important family with regard to its close relationship to land plants. However, the precise branching order of the Characeae and closely related algal groups with respect to land plants is unresolved as are the phylogenetic relationships among genera in Characeae. My work includes morphological, cytological and molecular studies of Tolypella in order to address species diversity in the genus for a worldwide monograph, resolve their relationship to other genera in Characeae and contribute to phylogenetic studies concerned with the early evolution of land plants.