Workshop: A New Generation of Research on Amphibian Declines

揭示生物多样性的模式及其背后的过程是全球保护工作的核心。由于其复杂的生命周期，两栖动物在食物网中扮演着重要的角色，参与了水生和陆地生态系统之间的能量传递，是生态系统健康的重要指标。该提案要求为2005年7月6日至11日在佛罗里达州坦帕市举行的鱼类学家和动物学家联合会议上召开的“两栖动物衰退的新一代研究”研讨会提供资金。研讨会将由来自美国和拉丁美洲多个国家的学生进行24场演讲。研讨会将通过展示和讨论两栖动物衰退研究中急需的多学科和合作观点来推动科学前沿，聚集国际研究生和博士后学生在非洲，亚洲，中美洲，北美洲和南美洲进行前沿研究。这次国际性的、跨学科的、跨代的讨论将使科学界的成员能够确定两栖动物衰退研究的下一步，确定需要进一步研究和资助机会的地理和研究领域。通过巩固演讲者之间最近的合作，并通过鼓励观众之间的合作，它还将有助于在世界各国的科学项目和智力进步之间架起桥梁。

Uncovering the patterns of biological diversity and the processes behind it are central to global conservation efforts. Due to their complex life cycle, amphibians take an important role in food webs, participate in energy transfer between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and constitute important indicators of ecosystem health. This proposal requests funds for a symposium - A New Generation of Research on Amphibian Declines - on amphibian declines to take place at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Hepetologists in Tampa, FL, on July 6-11, 2005. The symposium will consist of 24 talks by students drawn from the US and a diversity of countries throughout Latin America. The symposium will push the frontiers of science by presenting and discussing much-needed multidisciplinary and collaborative perspectives on amphibian decline research, gathering an international group of graduate and post-doctoral students conducting cutting-edge research in Africa, Asia, Central, North and South America. This international, interdisciplinary, and cross-generation discussion will enable members of the scientific community to define the next steps in amphibian decline research, identifying the geographic and research areas in need of further studies and funding opportunities. Through the consolidation of recent collaborations among presenters, and by stimulating collaborative work among audience members, it will also help bridge scientific programs and intellectual advances across countries throughout the world.