Spatial Phylogenetics and the Bayesian Phylogenetic Mixed Model (BPMM01)

https://prstats.org/course/spatial-phylogenetics-and-the-bayesian-phylogenetic-mixed-model-pmm-bpmm01/

Delivered by Dr. Ignacio Morales-Castilla, a leading researcher in macroecology, biogeography, and spatial phylogenetics.

Learn how to integrate phylogenetic comparative methods, Bayesian Phylogenetic Mixed Models (BPMMs), and spatial analysis to answer complex evolutionary and ecological questions.

Species do not represent statistically independent observations—they share evolutionary histories that influence their traits, distributions, and ecological interactions. Likewise, many ecological datasets exhibit strong spatial structure. This hands-on course teaches you how to combine phylogenetic and spatial information within modern Bayesian modelling frameworks, allowing you to account for both evolutionary relatedness and spatial autocorrelation in your analyses. 

What you'll gain

- A strong understanding of phylogenetic comparative methods and Bayesian Phylogenetic Mixed Models (BPMMs)
- Practical experience implementing phylogenetic models in R
- Skills to incorporate phylogenetic and spatial structure into ecological analyses
- Understanding of model interpretation, diagnostics, and uncertainty
- Confidence in analysing comparative datasets using modern Bayesian workflows

Course format

- Live, instructor-led online training
- Hands-on coding with real-world evolutionary and ecological datasets
- Interactive practical exercises throughout
- Strong focus on applied, research-ready workflows

Who is this course for?

- Evolutionary biologists and evolutionary ecologists
- Comparative biologists and macroecologists
- Population geneticists and quantitative biologists
- Researchers working with phylogenetic, trait, or spatial datasets
- PhD students and quantitative life scientists

Why take this course?

Accounting for shared evolutionary history is fundamental to comparative biology. Ignoring phylogenetic relationships can lead to biased estimates and incorrect biological conclusions, while failing to account for spatial structure can further compromise ecological inference.

This course brings together phylogenetic comparative methods, Bayesian modelling, and spatial analysis into a single, coherent workflow. Whether you're studying trait evolution, species distributions, macroecology, community ecology, or biodiversity patterns, you'll learn how to build robust statistical models that properly account for both evolutionary relationships and spatial dependence. 

Learn more & enrol

PR Stats course page for Spatial Phylogenetics and the Bayesian Phylogenetic Mixed Model (BPMM01)
https://prstats.org/course/spatial-phylogenetics-and-the-bayesian-phylogenetic-mixed-model-pmm-bpmm01/

Questions?
Email: oliver@prstats.org

Oliver Hooker
Managing Partner
Advanced Training for Researchers in the Life Sciences
coursesinfo@prstats.org | www.prstats.org

(to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to
evoldir@evoldir.net)