One of the most important and computationally demanding research areas in the biological sciences is the reconstruction of the history of life. All Department projects necessitate improvements in data handling and analysis that will have broad applicability to phylogenetic studies of other organisms throughout the world. One of the most substantial IG projects is the reconstruction of the history of Green Plants. The green plants provide food, shelter, and medicines and represent one of life's great success stories. Like green plants, mollusks play a critical role as human food, vectors for parasites, agriculture pests, and as important structuring components in many ecosystems.
Mollusks also provide important data from the fossil record and deep time.
Understanding relationships between living and extinct groups provides critical data for evaluating organismal responses to changing climates and environmental degradation. While environmental concerns are valid, change has been constant in the history of the earth and the history of life reflects these changes. Knowing the history of living mollusks and how they respond now as well as in the past to change, can provide the necessary predictive power so critical if future generations are to continue to share this plant with the myriad life forms on which humans depend. Understanding the history of life is pivotal to the survival of humans, their cultures, and the environment. Systematic Biology has made substantial progress over the last 200 years, but there is still much to do and the need for this knowledge grows daily.