Stochastic Morphometry: Evolutionary Modelling of Whole Shape Data

Stochastic Morphometry: Evolutionary Modelling of Whole Shape Data

Organismal morphology is studied in biology to decode evolutionary relationships among species and test hypotheses about the evolutionary tree, traditionally by studying simple measures such as cranial volume or bone length in contrast to the full animal shape. The appearance of DNA data have led to development of statistical methods that have revolutionized the use of DNA in evolutionary studies, but these methods are not yet applicable to the study of animal shapes. The project will lead to statistical models based on new mathematical theory for morphological change through evolution. It will revolutionize evolutionary analyses of morphological data to fully take advantage of the rich information of changes in complex biological structures. We will exemplify the power of these models with studies of butterfly wings, bird beaks, canid, and human cranial features.