NIMBioS Working Group: Species Delimitation
Topic: Biological, computational, and mathematical problems in gene tree-based species delimitations
Organizers: David Weisrock (Department of Biology, University of Kentucky); Ruriko Yoshida (Department of Statistics, University of Kentucky)
Meeting dates: December 2-4, 2010
Project summary: Modern biological study is increasingly being pursued through synergistic collaborations between biology and higher mathematics. Important connections are beiing established between computational evolutionary biology and the emerging field of "algebraic statistics," which combines combinatorics, computational algebra, polyhedral geometry and statistical modeling. The primary objective of this working group is to bring together new and established researchers in mathematics, biology, and statistics in order to discuss challenges in a growing field that applies gene trees reconstructed from DNA sequence data to delimiting species. Identifying species is a fundamental task in biological study. However, mathematical and computational challenges remain in the application of genealogical criteria to species delimitation. Many of these limitations are interrelated with each other. Consequently, it is very important that researchers in mathematics, statistics, and the life sciences work together to overcome these challenges. In this working group, we will highlight and work on what we see as the major challenges that would benefit from an integrated research approach across the biological and mathematical sciences.
NIMBioS Working Groups are chosen to focus on major scientific questions at the interface between biology and mathematics. NIMBioS is particularly interested in questions that integrate diverse fields, require synthesis at multiple scales, and/or make use of or require development of new mathematical/computational approaches. NIMBioS Working Groups are relatively small (10-12 participants, with a maximum of 15), focus on a well-defined topic, and have well-defined goals and metrics of success. Working Groups will typically meet 2-4 times over a two-year period, with each meeting lasting 3-5 days; however, the number of participants, number of meetings, and duration of each meeting is flexible, depending on the needs and goals of the Group.
