AGM 2027 (Geology Section) and lecture “A microscopic perspective on macroevolution”.

Geology Section AGM 10.30

Followed by Lecture

Dr Tracy Aze, University of Plymouth

Macroevolutionary patterns, such as speciation, extinction, and global diversity gradients, are often studied over vast timescales and across the entire tree of life. Yet some of the clearest insights into these large-scale processes come from organisms that are almost invisible to the naked eye.

This talk explores how planktonic foraminifera, single-celled marine organisms with an exceptionally high-quality fossil record, provide a powerful window into macroevolution. Because they are abundant, widespread, and preserved continuously through deep time, foraminifera allow evolutionary rates and patterns to be measured with a level of temporal precision that is rarely possible for other groups.

Drawing on case studies from recent research, the talk will examine how speciation and extinction rates have varied through time, how these changes are linked to environmental and climatic conditions, and how global patterns such as the latitudinal diversity gradient emerge and persist. Together, these examples show how microscopic fossils can reveal fundamental principles that shape biodiversity on a planetary scale.

Profile: Dr Tracy Aze is a marine palaeoecologist at the University of Plymouth. Her research focuses on understanding how biodiversity evolves through time, particularly in response to environmental and climatic change. She specialises in planktonic foraminifera, marine microfossils whose rich fossil record allows evolutionary processes to be studied in exceptional detail.

Her work combines fossil data, phylogenetic methods, and quantitative analyses to investigate patterns of speciation, extinction, and global diversity across millions of years. Tracy is actively involved in international research collaborations and scientific working groups, and she has a strong interest in communicating how insights from the fossil record can inform our understanding of present-day biodiversity and future environmental change.