Symposium: Is Microbial Ecology Fundamentally Different? New Insights into Patterns and Controls of Microbial Diversity to be held August 1-6, 2004 Portland, Oregon

微生物占世界生物量的绝大多数，其多样性超过所有其他生物。 它们在地球自然史的许多方面发挥着核心作用，包括营养物的再生、污染物的分解和矿物质的形成。 尽管微生物生物多样性在数量上占主导地位，在生态上具有重要意义，但人们对微生物生物多样性的了解仍然很少。 这部分是由于学科界限往往将参与微生物多样性研究的微生物学家与参与生物多样性一般研究的生态学家分开。已经组织了一个专题讨论会，将弥合这种分离。 这次研讨会已列入美国生态学会（ESA）年会（2004年8月1日至6日）在波特兰，俄勒冈州的计划。每年的ESA会议是生态学家最大和最重要的会议。 我们的研讨会，题为“微生物生态学是从根本上不同的？微生物多样性模式和控制的新见解”将通过促进涉及微生物学家和生态学家的跨学科研究开辟新天地。研讨会的一个主要目标是将微生物学家的工作与生态理论和实践的最新趋势结合起来（到目前为止，生态理论和实践主要是通过对大型生物的研究发展起来的）。人类面临的最关键的挑战之一是保护、恢复和明智地管理地球上各种各样的生物资源。 为了应对这些挑战，社会需要关于这些资源如何产生和维持的基本信息。描述生命多样性的模式是提供这种理解的关键的第一步。 鉴于微生物的生态重要性以及我们对其多样性的相对忽视，记录微生物多样性的模式尤为重要。 拟议的专题讨论会将提供一个独特的场所，以交流有关微生物多样性模式的信息，并促进微生物和一般生态学家之间在国家和国际上就微生物多样性模式进行合作研究。 该计划将作为一个平台，以促进妇女和早期职业研究人员在这一新兴领域的领导者，以及。

Microorganisms account for the vast majority of the world's biomass, and their diversity surpasses that of all other organisms. They play a central role in many aspects of the Earth's natural history, including the regeneration of nutrients, the breakdown of pollutants and the formation of minerals. Despite their numerical dominance and central ecological importance, microbial biodiversity remains poorly understood. This is due in part to the disciplinary boundaries that tend to separate microbiologists involved in microbial diversity studies from ecologists involved in the general study of biodiversity. A symposium has been organized that will bridge this separation. This symposium has been included in the program for the Ecological Society of America (ESA) Annual Meeting (August 1-6, 2004) in Portland, Oregon. The annual ESA meeting is the largest and most significant meeting of ecologists. Our symposium, entitled "Is Microbial Ecology Fundamentally Different? New Insights into Patterns and Controls of Microbial Diversity," will break new ground by facilitating interdisciplinary research involving microbiologists and ecologists. A major goal of the symposium is to integrate the work of microbiologists with the latest trends in ecological theory and practice (until now, developed largely through the study of macro-organisms).Among the most critical challenges facing humanity are the conservation, restoration and wise management of the Earth's diverse living resources. To meet these challenges, society requires basic information concerning how these resources are generated and maintained. Characterizing patterns in the diversity of life is a critical first step toward providing this understanding. Documenting patterns in microbial diversity is especially critical given the ecological importance of microbes and our relative ignorance regarding their diversity. The proposed symposium will provide a unique venue for exchanging information regarding patterns in microbial diversity, and for promoting collaborative research, nationally and internationally, between microbial and general ecologists regarding microbial diversity patterns. The program will serve as a platform to promote women and early-career researchers as leaders in this emerging area, as well.