2006 Metabolic Basis of Ecology and Evolution Gordon Research Conference

所有的生物体都能进行各种各样的生化反应，这些反应既涉及复杂分子的生物合成，也涉及复杂分子的分解。从生态学的角度来看，生物体的代谢过程决定了能量和物质与环境的交换速率，以及这些资源分配给生命史所有组成部分的速率：维持，生长和繁殖。从进化的角度来看，生物体的代谢率决定了控制分子进化率、物种形成和灭绝率以及物种多样性模式的基本过程。这次戈登会议将汇集来自两个角度的高度多样化的研究人员，他们正在代谢生态学领域的最前沿工作。本NSF会议提案的目标是为戈登生态学和进化代谢基础研究会议提供资金支持，该会议将于2006年7月9日至14日在缅因州刘易斯顿贝茨学院举行。戈登会议环境将吸引科学界最聪明和最互动的成员参加一个独特的，公开论坛，将确定和解决代谢生态学的新问题。在这次戈登会议上提出的想法和假设将刺激代谢生态学领域的发展和演变;将有助于新的经验和理论研究成果的综合;并将为未来的戈登会议创造一个新的知识基础。

All living organisms are capable of a diverse set of biochemical reactions that are involved both in the biosynthesis and in the breakdown of complex molecules. From the perspective of ecology, an organism's metabolic processes determine the rate of exchange of energy and materials with its environment, and the rate of allocation of these resources to all components of its life history: maintenance, growth and reproduction. From the perspective of evolution, an organism's metabolic rate determines underlying processes that govern rates of molecular evolution, rates of speciation and extinction, as well as patterns in species diversity. This Gordon Conference will bring together a highly diverse set of researchers from both perspectives who are working at the forefront of the field of metabolic ecology. The goal of this NSF Conference proposal is to provide funding support for the Gordon Research Conference on the Metabolic Basis of Ecology and Evolution, which will be held at Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, from 9-14 July 2006.The Gordon Conference environment will attract the brightest and most interactive members of the scientific community to a unique, open forum that will identify and solve new problems in metabolic ecology. The ideas and hypotheses developed at this Gordon Conference will stimulate the growth and evolution of the field ofmetabolic ecology; will contribute towards a new synthesis of empirical and theoretical findings; and will create a new knowledge base for future Gordon Conferences on metabolism in ecology and evolution.