Research in the Aquatic Biodiversity & Conservation (ABC) Laboratory focuses on the evolution and conservation of biodiversity, and the geographic distribution of this diversity across freshwater ecosystems. Our study organisms include amphipods, snails, and other invertebrates inhabiting springs in the Chihuahuan Desert and Great Basin, and freshwater mussels (the most imperiled group of animals in the United States) from throughout North America. The evolutionary forces we study are natural selection, isolation and dispersal among populations, and random changes in genetic diversity and community composition. Desert springs provide ideal systems for this work because they contain unique assemblages of invertebrates. Stark landscapes, wide-open spaces, and beautiful sunsets are added bonuses for working in this part of the world.