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Rust fungi (Pucciniales) are among the most diverse and specialized groups of plant-parasitic fungi, forming intricate ecological and evolutionary relationships with their hosts. In this talk, I will explore how the diversity, systematics, and evolutionary trajectories of rust fungi can be viewed through the conceptual framework of Darwin’s tangled bank and the STADIS themes of stability and discontinuity. From convergent morphologies in the tropical Raveneliaceae to host jumps and “hybrid bridges” in the rose rusts (Phragmidium), and from invasive pathogens such as Austropuccinia to the obscure origins of the Pucciniaceae, rust fungi reveal how apparent stability in both form and host association often conceals dynamic processes of change. Drawing on my studies on rust fungal systematics, I will discuss how these organisms’ diversity and evolutionary adaptability emerge from complex patterns of connection, disruption, and persistence. By situating these findings within a broader reflection on evolutionary and ecological stability, I aim to show how the rust fungi exemplify the living tension between persistence and transformation that underlies all biological systems.