US-Gabon Workshop 2011: Evolution and conservation of Central African biological diversity: new approaches and avenues for international collaboration

2011 年美国-加蓬研讨会：中部非洲生物多样性的演变和保护：国际合作的新方法和途径

• 批准号: 0968587
• 负责人: Nicola Anthony
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of New Orleans
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2011-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0968587&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: US; Gabon; Workshop; 2011; Evolution

The main goal of the workshop is to provide a forum for collaborative exchange between key US and foreign scientists actively engaged in research on the evolution of biological diversity in the equatorial rainforests of Central Africa. The proposed workshop will take place in Gabon in 2011 and will be jointly organized by the PI and US scientists (Dr. Gonder, State University of New York-Albany, NY; Dr. Lahm, Ecology and Environment Inc., DC) in cooperation with foreign collaborators (Dr. Mickala, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku, Gabon; Dr. Jeffery, Station d'Etudes sur les Gorilles et Chimpanzés, Gabon; Dr. Abernethy, University of Stirling, UK and Prof. Bruford, Cardiff University, UK).Given the biological significance of the Congo basin and the conservation challenges this region faces, this workshop will not only strive to present a coherent synthesis of our current understanding of the evolution of biological diversity in the region but also provide recommendations for future evolutionary research and its application to conservation. The 35+ participants selected by the steering committee comprise a broad array of evolutionary biologists, natural resource specialists and university educators. Their collective expertise and current research activities span most major taxonomic groups and countries in the region. The specific aims are as follows:(i) assess our current knowledge of evolutionary patterns and processes underlying the distribution of biological diversity in the Central African equatorial rainforest (ii) establish common research priorities and identify important gaps in our current knowledge base(iii) identify novel avenues for cross-disciplinary research, data sharing and ways of applying genetic approaches to conservation management and policy(iv) explore innovative ways of combining tropical evolutionary research with student education(v) explore the potential for future collaborative granting opportunities between US, European and African scientists.Intellectual merit: The advent of novel PCR based technologies, non-invasive sampling methodologies, faster computers and a vast proliferation of freeware promises to revolutionize our understanding of the evolution of central African biological diversity. Despite these conceptual and technological advances, most evolutionary research in Central Africa has been limited to single species studies from a limited set of plant and animal taxa. Moreover, many of the most exciting advances in molecular ecology and multi-disciplinary evolutionary studies (e.g. landscape genetic analyses, barcoding initiatives etc.) have yet to be applied across the region. The present workshop therefore seeks to address this need by bringing together US and foreign scientists to establish a set of common research objectives for future research and explore opportunities for collaborative exchange and education. By bringing academics, resource managers, conservation practitioners and educators together, the workshop will also strive to identify ways that genetic data can make a concrete contribution to regional conservation efforts. Broader impacts: (1) Enhance collaboration between U.S. and foreign scientists engaged in evolutionary biology and conservation research in Central Africa; (2) Identify opportunities for overseas training and research for U.S. investigators and students; (3) Lay the groundwork for large multi-investigator grant applications such as the NSF PIRE award program; (4) Establish a set of recommendations on future avenues for research and ways of using genetic data to inform conservation management and policy; (5) Publish a synthesis of workshop discussion and collate educational materials for distribution to workshop participants. This award is being funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering's Africa, Near East, and South Asia Program.

研讨会的主要目标是为积极从事中非赤道热带雨林生物多样性演变研究的美国和外国重要科学家之间的合作交流提供一个论坛。拟议的研讨会将于2011年在加蓬举行，将由PI和美国科学家（纽约州立大学奥尔巴尼分校Gonder博士；生态与环境公司哥伦比亚特区Lahm博士）与外国合作者（加蓬马苏库科学与技术大学Mickala博士；加蓬大猩猩与黑猩猩研究所Jeffery博士；英国斯特林大学Abernethy博士和英国卡迪夫大学Bruford教授）合作举办。鉴于刚果盆地的生物学意义和该地区面临的保护挑战，本次研讨会不仅将努力提出我们目前对该地区生物多样性进化的理解的连贯综合，而且还将为未来的进化研究及其在保护中的应用提供建议。由指导委员会挑选的35多名参与者包括进化生物学家、自然资源专家和大学教育工作者。他们的集体专业知识和目前的研究活动涵盖了该地区大多数主要的分类类群和国家。具体目标如下：(i)评估我们目前对中非赤道雨林生物多样性分布的进化模式和过程的知识；（ii）确定共同的研究优先事项并确定我们现有知识库中的重要空白；（iii）确定跨学科研究的新途径；数据共享和将遗传方法应用于保护管理和政策的方法（iv）探索将热带进化研究与学生教育相结合的创新方法(v)探索美国、欧洲和非洲科学家之间未来合作资助机会的潜力。知识价值：新的PCR技术、非侵入性采样方法、更快的计算机和大量免费软件的出现，有望彻底改变我们对中非生物多样性进化的理解。尽管在概念和技术上取得了这些进步，但中非的大多数进化研究仍局限于对有限的植物和动物分类群的单一物种研究。此外，分子生态学和多学科进化研究中许多最令人兴奋的进展（如景观遗传分析、条形码计划等）尚未在整个地区应用。因此，本次研讨会旨在解决这一需求，将美国和外国科学家聚集在一起，为未来的研究建立一套共同的研究目标，并探索合作交流和教育的机会。通过将学者、资源管理者、保护实践者和教育者聚集在一起，研讨会还将努力确定遗传数据可以为区域保护工作做出具体贡献的方法。更广泛的影响：(1)加强在中非从事进化生物学和保护研究的美国和外国科学家之间的合作；(2)为美国研究人员和学生确定海外培训和研究的机会；(3)为大型多研究者资助申请（如NSF PIRE奖励计划）奠定基础；(4)就今后的研究途径和利用遗传数据为保护管理和政策提供信息的方法提出一套建议；(5)出版研讨会讨论的综合资料，并整理教育材料分发给研讨会参与者。该奖项由国际科学与工程办公室的非洲、近东和南亚项目资助。