BIOCOMPLEXITY-INCUBATION ACTIVITY: Integrated Approaches to Studies of Infinite-Dimensional Trait Evolution in Natural Populations

该基金致力于自然种群中所谓的“无限维”特征的进化。许多高度复杂的性状，如形态形状、发育轨迹和对连续环境变量（如温度、光周期或降雨）的表型反应，都是“无限维的”，因为它们的完整描述通常需要无限次的测量。该项目将涉及专业数学模型的联合开发，关键统计问题和方法的识别（包括实验设计，参数估计，假设检验和预测），以及可用于研究自然系统中无限维特征进化的现场和实验室经验方法的评估。了解高度复杂（即无限维）特征的进化是生物学中最重要和最具挑战性的问题之一。尽管十多年前首次提出了研究无限维性状进化的整体定量方法，但目前的方法缺乏在自然种群实证研究中实际实施所需的许多发展。这些孵化活动将有助于制定研究计划，一旦实施，将为复杂性状进化的研究提供实用而强大的定量工具和经验系统。

The grant address the evolution of so-called "infinite-dimensional" traits in natural populations. Many highly complex traits, such as morphological shapes, developmental trajectories, and phenotypic responses to continuous environmental variables (like temperature, photoperiod, or rainfall) are "infinite-dimensional" because their complete description would require, in general, an infinite number of measurements. The project will involve the joint development of specialized mathematical models, identification of critical statistical issues and methods (including experimental design, parameter estimation, hypothesis testing, and prediction), and evaluation of field and laboratory empirical approaches that can be used to study infinite-dimensional trait evolution in natural systems.Understanding the evolution of highly complex (i.e., infinite-dimensional) traits is one of the most important and challenging problems in biology. Although holistic quantitative approaches to study infinite-dimensional trait evolution were first proposed over a decade ago, current methods lack many developments required for practical implementation in empirical studies of natural populations. These incubation activities will enable development of a research proposal that would, when implemented, provide practical and powerful quantitative tools and empirical systems for investigations of complex trait evolution.