Karl J. Niklas

Niklas is an expert on biophysics and the biomechanics of plants and on the significance of these disciplines in understanding plant biology in terms of the evolution of form, function, and environmental variables. He is one of the pioneers in the quantitative analysis of the plant fossil record and has combined numerous approaches in ways that uniquely illuminate our understanding of evolution and the biological distribution of plants through geologic time. His studies were particularly important to understanding plant speciation-extinction dynamics, the relationship between plant form and reproductive success, and the evolution of plant form itself. He produced vast new insights for understanding plant evolution and the relationship between plants and their environments.