CAREER: Phylogenies and the Comparative Method

9720641马丁斯“比较方法”在整个生物学中被用来揭示不同生物群体的历史模式。今天，人们普遍认为，任何比较或种间数据的统计分析都应该在系统发育的背景下进行。虽然已经开发了几种系统发育比较方法（PCM）进行这样的分析，这些方法遭受了一些技术问题，使他们难以应用。 在这个项目中，Emilia Martins及其同事将使用计算机模拟和理论发展来纠正PCM应用中涉及的几个统计困难。他们还将继续开发一套计算机程序COMPARE，这将使所有生物学家可以通过互联网免费访问PCM。 该项目教育部分的主要目标是让本科生接触研究。这将通过1）进一步发展我们的暑期项目为少数民族本科生在生物学，2）开发互联网的使用，让本科生在我的课程与来自其他校园的研究人员进行互动，和3）扩大遗传学课程，包括一个项目，其中学生收集和分析数据，并准备在科学杂志上发表的结果。

9720641 Martins The "comparative method" is used throughout biology to uncover historical patterns across diverse groups of organisms. Today, it is widely accepted that any statistical analysis of comparative or interspecific data should be conducted in a phylogenetic context. Although several phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs) have been developed for conducting such analyses, these methods suffer from a number of technical problems which make them difficult to apply. In this project, Emilia Martins and colleagues will use computer simulation and theoretical development to correct several of the statistical difficulties involved in the application of PCMs. They will also continue development of a package of computer programs, COMPARE, which will make PCMs freely accessible to all biologists over the internet. The primary goal of the education component of this project is to expose undergraduates to research. This will be done by 1) further developing our summer program for minority undergraduates in biology, 2) developing the use of the internet to allow undergraduates in my courses to interact with researchers from other campuses, and 3) expanding a course on phylogenetics to include a project in which the students collect and analyze data and prepare the results for publication in a scientific journal.