Dr Luke Mander

Senior Lecturer In Earth Sciences

School of Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences

luke.mander@open.ac.uk

Biography

Professional biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences in the School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences at The Open University (since 2015). I received a PhD in 2010 from University College Dublin for a thesis that investigated 200 million-year-old fossil plant remains in Jameson Land, East Greenland. My doctoral research was supervised by Jennifer McElwain and Wolfram Kürschner. I then spent two years as a postdoc in Surangi Punyasena's lab in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, before returning to the UK for a six-month stay at Plymouth University as a Lecturer in Earth Sciences (Fixed Term). I rounded off my scientific training with a two-year EU Marie Curie fellowship in Tim Lenton's Earth System Science group at the University of Exeter.

Research interests

My goal is to understand the patterns and processes of plant diversification and extinction on macroevolutionary timescales. I am focussed on flowering plants from tropical latitudes, and employ a combination of specimen-based observational data and novel computational morphometric methods.

Peer-reviewed publications

43. Carlos Jaramillo, Surangi W Punyasena, Daurys de Alba, Roxana Alveo, Angelica Arcila, Jorge Bermudez, Jonatan Bustos, Dayenari Caballero‐Rodriguez, Karen Cardenas, David Caro, Francy Carvajal, Ivonne Marcela Castañeda, Shara Chaves, Carlos D'Apolito, Andres Diaz‐Jaramillo, Laura Diaz, Luisa Gomez, Mauricio León‐Carreño, Paula Lopera, Maria Alejandra Lopez, Priscila Lopez, Luke Mander, Jhonatan Martínez Murcia, Carlos Moreno, Enrique Moreno, Enrique Neyra, Brenda Orosco, Jhon Ortiz, Natalia Ossa, Natalia Ovalle, Carolina Ovalle, Angelo Plata, Ingrid Romero, Bruno Scudeiro, Silane AF da Silva Caminha, Axel Tejada‐Fajardo, Vinicius Do Valle, Thiago Wood. (2025) Digitizing collections to unlock the full potential of palynology: A case study with the Smithsonian palynology collection. Plants People Planet, XX, 1–16.

42. Mander L., Julier A.C.M. & Jaramillo C. (2025) The architecture of floral diversity: a bipartite network of flower morphology in the Neotropical rainforest of Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, XX, 1–11.

41. Leslie A.B. & Mander L. (2025) Genomic correlates of vascular plant reproductive complexity and the uniqueness of angiosperms. New Phytologist, 245, 1733–1745.

40. Wei C., Li M., Mao L., Mander L., Jardine P.E., Gosling W.D. & Hoorn C. (2025) A 23 million year record of morphological evolution within Neotropical grass pollen. New Phytologist, 246, 365–376.

39. Mander L. & Williams H.T.P. (2024) The robustness of some Carboniferous fossil leaf venation networks to simulated damage. Royal Society Open Science, 11, 240086. See professional commentary in Science: Intricate leaf veins may be an ancient protection against insects.

38. Swaby E.J., Coe A.L., Ansorge J., Caswell B.A., Hayward S.A.L., Mander L., Stevens L.G. & McArdle A. (2024) The fossil insect assemblage associated with the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) oceanic anoxic event from Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK. Plos One, 19, e0299551.

37. Leslie A.B. & Mander L. (2023) Quantifying the complexity of plant reproductive structures reveals a history of morphological and functional integration. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 290, 20231810.

36. Wei C., Jardine P.E., Mao L., Mander L., Li M., Gosling W.D. & Hoorn C.D. (2023) Grass pollen surface ornamentation is diverse across the phylogeny: evidence from northern South America and the global literature. Journal of Systematics and Evolution. Early View.

35. Brown K., Bunting J.M., Carvalho F., de Bello F., Mander L., Marcisz K., Mottl O., Reitalu T. & Svenning J-C. (2023) Trait-based approaches as ecological time machines: Developing tools for reconstructing long-term variation in ecosystems. Functional Ecology, 37, 2552–2569.

34. Mander L., Jaramillo C. & Oboh-Ikuenobe F.E. (2023) Descriptive systematics of Upper Paleocene–Lower Eocene pollen and spores from the northern Niger Delta, southeastern Nigeria. Palynology, 47, 2200525.

33. Hollaar T.P., Baker S.J., Hesselbo S.P., Deconinck J-F., Mander L., Ruhl M. & Belcher C.M. (2021) Wildfire activity enhanced during phases of maximum orbital eccentricity and precessional forcing in the Early Jurassic. Communications Earth and Environment, 2, 247.

32. Hang H., Bauer M., Mio W. & Mander L. (2021) Geometric and topological approaches to shape variation in Ginkgo leaves. Royal Society Open Science, 8, 210978. Paper also available at bioRxiv: 2020.10.23.352476

31. Leslie A.B., Simpson C. & Mander L. (2021) Reproductive innovations and pulsed rise in plant complexity. Science, 373, 1368–1372.

30. Mander L., Parins-Fukuchi, C., Dick, C.W., Punyasena S.W. & Jaramillo C. (2020) Phylogenetic and ecological correlates of pollen morphological diversity in a Neotropical rainforest. Biotropica, 53, 74–85.

29. Mander L. & McElwain J.C. (2019) Toarcian land vegetation loss. Nature Geoscience, 12, 405–406.

28. Mander L. (2018) The latitudinal distribution of morphological diversity among Holocene angiosperm pollen grains from eastern North America and the Neotropics. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 58, 1170–1178.

27. Sigwart J.D., Bennett K.D., Edie S., Mander L., Okamura B., Padian K., Wheeler Q., Winston J. & Norine Yeung N. (2018) Measuring Biodiversity and Extinction – Present and Past. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 58, 1111–1117.

26. Mander L., & Punyasena S.W. (2018) Fossil pollen and spores in paleoecology. In: D.A. Croft, S.W. Simpson, & D.F. Su (eds.) Methods in Paleoecology: Reconstructing Cenozoic Terrestrial Environments & Ecological Communities. Springer (Vertebrate Paleobiology & Paleoanthropology Series), Dordrecht.

25. Vakulenko S.A., Sudakov I. & Mander L. (2018) The influence of environmental forcing on biodiversity and extinction in a resource competition model. Chaos, 28, 031101.

24. Sivaguru M., Urban M.A., Fried G., Wesseln C.J., Mander L. & Punyasena S.W. (2018) Comparative performance of Airyscan and Structured Illumination Super-Resolution Microscopy in the study of the surface texture and 3D shape of pollen. Microscopy Research and Technique, 81, 101–114.

23. Sudakov I., Essa A., Mander L., Gong M., & Kariyawasam T. (2017) The geometry of large Arctic tundra lakes observed in historical maps and satellite images. Remote Sensing, 9, 1072.

22. Mander L., Dekker S.C., Li M., Mio W., Punyasena S.W. & Lenton T.M. (2017) A morphometric analysis of vegetation patterns in dryland ecosystems. Royal Society Open Science, 4, 160443.

21. Mander L. (2016) A combinatorial approach to angiosperm pollen morphology. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 283, 20162033.

20. Porada P., Lenton T.M., Pohl A., Weber B., Mander L., Donnadieu Y., Beer C., Pöschl U. & Kleidon A. (2016) High potential for weathering and climate effects of non-vascular vegetation in the Late Ordovician. Nature Communications, 7, 12113.

19. Mander L. & Punyasena, S.W. (2015) Grass pollen surface ornamentation: a review of morphotypes and taxonomic utility. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 35, 121–124.

18. Looy C.V., Stevenson R.A., Van Hoof T.B. & Mander L. (2014) Evidence for coal forest refugia in the seasonally dry Pennsylvanian tropical lowlands of the Illinois Basin, USA. PeerJ, 2, e630.

17. Mander L., Rodriguez J., Mueller P.G., Jackson S.T. & Punyasena S.W. (2014) Identifying the pollen of an extinct spruce species in the Late Quaternary sediments of the Tunica Hills region, south-eastern United States. Journal of Quaternary Science, 29, 711–721.

16. Mander L. & Punyasena S.W. (2014) On the taxonomic resolution of pollen and spore records of Earth’s vegetation. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 175, 931–945.

15. Mander L., Baker S., Belcher C.M., Haselhorst D.S., Rodriguez J., Thorn J.L., Tiwari S., Urrego D.H., Wesseln C.J. & Punyasena S.W. (2014) The accuracy and consistency of grass pollen identification by human analysts using electron micrographs of surface ornamentation. Applications in Plant Sciences, 2, 1400031.

14. Kürschner W.M., Mander L. & McElwain J.C. (2014) A gymnosperm affinity for Ricciisporites tuberculatus Lundblad: implications for vegetation and environmental reconstructions in the Late Triassic. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 94, 295–305.

13. Mander L., Li M., Mio W., Fowlkes C.C. & Punyasena, S.W. (2013) Classification of grass pollen through the quantitative analysis of surface ornamentation and texture. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B, 280, 20131905.

12. Kürschner W.M., Batenburg S.J. & Mander L. (2013) Aberrant Classopollis pollen reveals evidence for unreduced (2n) pollen in the conifer family Cheirolepidiaceae during the Triassic–Jurassic transition. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B, 280, 20131708.

11. Mander L., Kürschner W.M. & McElwain J.C. (2013) Palynostratigraphy and vegetation history of the Triassic–Jurassic transition in East Greenland. Journal of the Geological Society, London, 170, 37–46.

10. Mander L., Wesseln C.J., McElwain J.C. & Punyasena S.W. (2012) Tracking taphonomic regimes using chemical and mechanical damage of pollen and spores: an example from the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction. PLoS ONE, 7, e49153.

9. Sivaguru M., Mander L., Fried G. & Punyasena S.W. (2012) Capturing the shape and surface texture of pollen: a comparison of microscopy techniques. PLoS ONE, 7, e39129.

8. Mander L., Collinson M.E., Chaloner W.G., Brain A.P.R. & Long D.G. (2012) The ultrastructure and botanical affinity of the problematic mid-Mesozoic palynomorph Ricciisporites tuberculatus Lundblad. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 173, 429–440.

7. Belcher C.M. & Mander L. (2012) Catastrophe: Extraterrestrial impacts, massive volcanism and the biosphere. In: A. Henderson-Sellers & K. McGuffie (eds) The Future of the World’s Climate, pp. 463–485, Elsevier, Amsterdam, (ISBN 9780123869173).

6. Mander L. (2011) Taxonomic resolution of the Triassic–Jurassic sporomorph record in East Greenland. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 30, 107–118.

5. Mander L., Kürschner W.M. & McElwain J.C. (2010) An explanation for conflicting records of Triassic–Jurassic plant diversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 107, 15351–15356.

4. Belcher C.M., Mander L., Rein G., Jervis F.X., Haworth M., Hesselbo S.P., Glasspool I.J. & McElwain J.C. (2010) Increased fire activity at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary in Greenland due to climate-driven floral change. Nature Geoscience, 3, 426–429.

3. Mander L. & Twitchett R.J. (2008) Quality of the Triassic–Jurassic bivalve fossil record in northwest Europe. Palaeontology, 51, 1213–1223.

2. Radley J.D., Twitchett R.J., Mander L. & Cope J.C.W. (2008) Discussion on palaeoecology of the Late Triassic extinction event in the SW UK. Journal of the Geological Society, London, 165, 988–992.

1. Mander L., Twitchett R.J. & Benton M.J. (2008) Palaeoecology of the Late Triassic extinction event in the SW UK. Journal of the Geological Society, London, 165, 319–332.

Teaching interests

I currently teach on the following modules here at The Open University:

S319 Geology and Sustainability

I am leading the production of this new third-level geoscience module.

S309 Earth Processes

On this module I am responsible for the development of independent student projects, materials relating to evolution, and Earth science in society.

S209 Earth Science

On this module I am responsible for materials relating to palaeobiology.

External collaborations

A considerable proportion of my work is collaborative, and I am fortunate to have worked with some outstanding people in the past. Here is a list of my current collaborators, loosely organised by country, together with a couple of notes here and there:

Prof. Washington Mio (Mathematics, Florida State University, USA)

Dr Martin Bauer (Mathematics, Florida State University, USA)

Prof. Francisca Oboh–Ikuenobe (Geology and Geophysics, Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA)

Dr Surangi W. Punyasena (Plant Biology, University of Illinois, USA). I was a postdoc in Surangi's lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (https://publish.illinois.edu/punyasena/). I undertook research as part of her NSF grant "Biological Shape Spaces, Transforming Shape into Knowledge", which also included Washington Mio.

Dr Andrew Leslie (Stanford University, USA)

Dr Carlos Jaramillo (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama)

Dr Barry Lomax (Plant Science, Nottingham University, UK)

Projects

Solar irradiance and the end-Cretaceous mass extinction

The pollen and spore (sporomorph) record is the most temporally and spatially complete record available to palaeontologists. In his field defining text book (Paleopalynology) Alfred Traverse remarks that it is common for 1g of siltstones to contain between 10 000 – 100 000 palynomorphs and for 5 000 specimens to be present on a single slide. This application delivers a framework that will allow us to fully explore this exceptional archive using state of the art technology to answer fundamental questions concerning linked to how the terrestrial biosphere responded to the Cretaceous Palaeogene (K/Pg) mass extinction event.

Mind the Gap: Tackling the Molecule–Fossil Divide in Angiosperm Evolution Using Fossil Pollen, Superresolution Microscopy and Deep Learning

Our proposed research will leverage a cutting-edge combination of super-resolution microscopy, machine learning, and phylogenetic reconstruction10 to investigate an urgent problem in palaeobiology. Our proposal represents a pathway to resolving the discrepancy between molecular and fossil records of angiosperm evolution3,4, which will be of interest to all Life and Earth scientists, and will merit publication in top-tier journals. Other outputs include code and image datasets that we would make freely available via public repositories (e.g. Dryad) and which will serve as a foundation for future quantitative studies of plant evolution using fossil pollen. Fossils and the history of life are of great interest to non-specialist audiences. Drawing on our own experience of engagement, we will collaborate with The Open University and University of Illinois public engagement professionals to develop outreach events focussed on plants and the origins of the modern biosphere.

CENTA2 Doctoral Training Partnership (2019 intake)

The Central England NERC Training Alliance (CENTA), is a consortium of research intensive Universities (Open, Birmingham, Leicester, Loughborough, Warwick and Cranfield) and research institutes who together to provide excellence in doctoral research training. CENTA encompasses research activities within three broad themes: Climate and Environmental Sustainability; Organisms and Ecosystems; and Dynamic Earth. The Open University STEM Faculty has match-funded 3 studentships per year throughout the project.

CENTA2 DTP Extension (2024 start)

CENTA2 DTP 2021 Intake

CENTA2 DTP 2020 Intake

CENTA 2016 intake

CENTA is a geographically and scientifically coherent consortium offering a wide range of excellent NERC science embedded in a vibrant multidisciplinary environment. The Universities (Birmingham, Leicester, Loughborough, Open and Warwick) and Institutes (British Geological Survey and Centre for Ecology and Hydrology) have a strong track record of producing PhD graduates fit for further research or other relevant employment. The Open University STEM Faculty has match-funded 3 studentships in the 2016 intake.