QEIB: Community Dynamics and Diversification

本研究关注数学模型的发展，整合影响生物群落生态和进化动态的人口统计学和遗传机制，包括种群和物种之间的物种形成、灭绝和表型分化。对这些过程的研究通常是由独立的调查人员进行的，而在了解它们之间的相互作用方面所做的努力相对较少。将人口统计学与人口遗传理论结合起来，将采用既定的数学方法来描述和分析包含确定性和随机成分的过程。这些模型将应用于使用各种统计方法分析几组不同动物和植物的数据。随着人口的增加，自然生境随之遭到破坏和破碎，生物多样性随之丧失，提高对群落动态和多样化的认识日益重要。社会保护和恢复产生和维持生物多样性的机制的能力将在今后几十年和几个世纪对人类和动物的生活质量产生重大影响。这项研究包括对研究生的大量培训，以及一个国内和国际合作者的网络。研究结果将在公开讲座、同行评议的科学出版物以及面向本科生和研究生的教育材料中广泛传播。

This research concerns the development of mathematical models integrating demographic and genetic mechanisms affecting the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of biological communities, including speciation, extinction, and phenotypic differentiation among populations and species. Research on these processes is usually pursued by independent investigators and relatively little effort has been made to understand their interactions. Integrating population demography with population genetic theory will be performed by employing established mathematical methods for describing and analyzing processes incorporating both deterministic and random components. The models will be applied to analyze data on several different groups of animals and plants using a variety of statistical methods.Improved knowledge of community dynamics and diversification is increasingly important as human population increases, with concomitant destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats, and consequent loss of biodiversity. The ability of societies to preserve and restore mechanisms generating and maintaining biological diversity will significantly impact quality of both human and animal life in the coming decades and centuries. This research includes a substantial training component for graduate students, and a network of national and international collaborators. Results of the research will be widely disseminated in public lectures, peer-reviewed scientific publications, and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students.