I aim to integrate modern evolutionary theory and paleontological perspectives to better understand patterns and processes of organismal diversification, and how long-term biosphere-geosphere interactions affect species diversity. I will examine patterns and rates of evolution in a well-controlled fossil gastropod time-series from Lake Malawi. Using comparative data I will investigate how divergence in trophic and reproductive morphological traits led to niche specialization in two ongoing radiations. Continent-wide family-level data from African freshwater gastropods will allow to explore how ecological opportunities, morphological disparity and molecular diversity relate to one another in macroevolution.