The main question of Theme I research is how patterns in biodiversity can be explained from underlying processes: speciation and extinction, dispersal and the (dis)appearance of geographical barriers, reproductive isolation and hybridisation of taxa.
The core issue explored in Theme I research is how biodiversity trends can be explained by underlying mechanisms: the formation of new species (speciation), their disappearance (extinction), migration patterns, alterations in geographic barriers, and genetic differences leading to hybridization among different taxa.