Unoccupied trait spaces

Why do some seemingly viable life forms not exist? I use topological data analysis to identify “gaps” in trait space and ask what processes create and maintain these gaps. By studying what is missing as well as what is present, I aim to uncover the ecological and evolutionary forces that shape the boundaries of biodiversity.

• Macroevolutionary constraints of bird morphology: We identified a viable body form missing from a large group of songbirds, explained by niche preemption from early-arriving lineages (Chia et al. 2026).
• I am extending this framework to bird feather color space, and potentially other taxa and trait systems.