Functional Phylogenies

Lead Research Organisation: University of Manchester
Department Name: Mathematics

Abstract

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Publications

10 25 50
publication icon
Hadjipantelis PZ (2013) Function-valued traits in evolution. in Journal of the Royal Society, Interface

publication icon
Jones NS (2013) Evolutionary inference for function-valued traits: Gaussian process regression on phylogenies. in Journal of the Royal Society, Interface

 
Description Biological data objects, such as growth curves, are often functions rather than single numbers or vectors. We have developed a new statistical method for analysing evolution which takes this fact into account. The method is based on a new model of the way that functions evolve through time, combining assumptions from phylogenetics with Gaussian processes from mathematics. The method may be used to make inferences about ancestral functions.
Exploitation Route We have published two further journal papers (see Publications section) exploring how our findings may be taken forward. The first argues that our model is a natural one for the evolution of speech sounds, which are functions; the second paper uses a simulation of evolving functions to give practical details on how the method may be applied to make inferences about ancestral functions.
Sectors Environment
 
Description 1. New collaboration with Dr Chris Knight in Manchester Life Sciences (see Collaborations and Partnerships section) 2. Two further peer reviewed journal papers on practical applications of our method (see Publications section) 3. Public engagement project (see Engagement Activities)
First Year Of Impact 2012
Sector Education
Impact Types Societal
 
Description EPSRC Institutional Sponsorship award to the University of Manchester
Amount £15,715 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2012 
End 09/2012
 
Description Collaboration with Dr Chris Knight (Manchester, Life Sciences) 
Organisation University of Manchester
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Collaboration applying the Functional Phylogenies statistical model to the challenge of analysing functional data from biology. Chris provided a real biological data set, and our analysis of this data led to a joint journal article (listed in ROS).
Collaborator Contribution Chris provided the real biological data set upon which the study was based.
Impact P. Z. Hadjipantelis, N. S. Jones, J. Moriarty, D. A. Springate, C. G. Knight. Function-Valued Traits in Evolution. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 10: 20121032 (2013). Multi-disciplinary (with biology)
Start Year 2012
 
Description Mutating Messages - A Public Experiment 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? Yes
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact The purpose of this engagement activity was to involve schoolchildren in the process of scientific research by conducting a public experiment. Please see the separate Researchfish entry on this EPSRC public engagement grant for full details of our outputs (peer reviewed scientific journal article, blog including professional video, lesson plan published in the National STEM Centre eLibrary). Additionally we returned to the high school for a follow-up lesson, in which the public experiment and its results were discussed with the students.

On the follow-up visit we took a survey among the students and well over half reported that they now had changed their view of statistics, while two-thirds would recommend our lesson to other students. Our blog has received over 3000 page views to date.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011
URL http://mutatingmessages.blogspot.co.uk