Symposium: Functional morphology of cartilaginous fishes (July 22-27, Portland, OR)

对于一个相对较小的类群，软骨鱼(鲨鱼、银鱼和它们的近亲)具有显著的形态和功能多样性。它们是大多数海洋营养系统中的顶级捕食者，是脊椎动物中最古老的矿化骨骼组织，也是最原始的有颌骨脊椎动物。因此，了解其形态、功能和生态多样性的根源和机制将为重建脊椎动物的进化史提供关键的一环。本次研讨会将在鱼类学家和爬行动物学家年度联席会议(2009年7月22-27日)上举行，将促进跨多个学科和生物组织水平的思想和技术的整合，所有这些都在软骨鱼的功能形态的背景下进行。专题讨论会的与会者在性别、地理出身以及职业阶段方面构成了一个不同的发言者群体，其中包括科学和工程领域代表性不足的群体的成员。这一专题讨论会的一个新的方面是，成对的与会者将进行“实地情况”的介绍，预计将许多功能系统整合到一个专题讨论会中将促进对每个系统独特或共同的参数的理解。由于研讨会的性质是协同的，这次活动无疑也将促进未来的合作。此外，研讨会将通过一个为期半天的研讨会，促进演讲者和听众之间的技术和技术转让，研讨会上将有业界领先的功能形态研究技术生产者参加。

For a relatively small group, the cartilaginous fishes (sharks, rays, & their relatives) possess a remarkable morphological and functional diversity. They are the top-level predators in most marine trophic systems, are the oldest living example of mineralized skeletal tissues in vertebrates, and are the most ancestral living jawed vertebrates. Thus, understanding the roots and mechanisms of their morphological, functional, and ecological diversification will provide a critical link in the reconstruction of vertebrate evolutionary history. This symposium, which will be held at the annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (July 22-27, 2009), will promote an integration of ideas and techniques across multiple disciplines and levels of biological organization, all within the context of the functional morphology of cartilaginous fishes. The symposium participants constitute a diverse group of speakers in terms of gender, geographic origin, as well as career stages, and include members of underrepresented groups in science and engineering. A novel aspect of this symposium is that pairs of participants will develop "state of the field" presentations, and it is anticipated that the integration of numerous functional systems in one symposium will foster an understanding of the parameters unique or common to each system. As the nature of the symposium is synergistic, the event will undoubtedly promote future collaborations as well. Additionally, the symposium will facilitate a transfer of technology and techniques among the speakers and audience through a half-day workshop featuring industry-leading producers of technology used in functional morphology research.