Researchers Launch New Software to Simulate Trait Evolution

The Problem

Evolution’s complexities are difficult to model, and designing useful simulations can prove challenging due to the high computational demands. A new software called TraitTrainR aims to streamline this modeling process.

The Work

Jenniffer Roa Lozano served as the lead author of the study introducing this software. She was a master’s student in the statistics and analytics program at the University of Arkansas when the work was published. Rich Adams, an assistant professor of agricultural statistics for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, and part of the Center for Agricultural Data Analytics for the experiment station, served as corresponding author and Lozano’s adviser. Adams is also part of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

The research team built on existing models that describe organisms’ changes over time. From there, researchers built what is now known as TraitTrainR, a software package that streamlines these models’ computer simulations.

The Results

TraitTrainR can perform a vast number of flexible experiments through probabilistic computer trait simulations. Additionally, these computer simulations can be performed on standard computers, and the software includes an easily understandable and organized code with tutorials to guide users.

The Value

The software has potential applications ranging from pathogen resistance research to crop resistance and invasive species modeling. Users can generate multiple evolutionary scenarios and understand an organism’s trait by comparing it to variations in related species. The software will help improve the understanding of the diversity of life forms on Earth, as organisms’ physical and molecular traits, and how they change over time, are at the heart of understanding how living beings have come to function the way they do.