My primary interests rest with questions pertaining to the evolution and maintenance of orchid diversity.  This journey has lead to a series of papers on the relationship between orchids and euglossine bees, the evolution and mechanisms of deception pollination, specificity in orchid-mycorrhizal associations, genetic structure of orchid populations, taxonomy of Caribbean orchids, the biogeography of West Indian Orchidaceae, and most recently on land use history and the local distribution of native species.  We are currently preparing a number of studies on the reproductive biology and population dynamics of invasive, non-native orchids.

The issues I address span taxonomy, evolution, ecology, and conservation, which means that I do not have the expertise in all techniques required for rigorous studies.  Consequently, virtually none of my work has been done without the collaborative efforts of my undergraduate and graduate students, and colleagues within the UPR system and elsewhere.