Environmental Change and Biological Adaptation in the Ocean Workshop, May 7-9, 2010

海洋生物学将如何应对目前全球变化导致的海洋环境的化学和物理变化，目前尚不确定。然而，很明显，生物进化（适应）以及表型可塑性和表观遗传学等其他过程是对全球变化的潜在反应。这些过程在海洋系统中还没有得到很好的理解，但可能是至关重要的，因为它们可以防止海洋生物群的灭绝或局部灭绝。因此，迫切需要考虑适应在迅速变化的海洋生态系统中的作用。然而，大多数海洋学家并不是进化生物学和理论方面的专家，反之亦然。为了解决这一问题，并开始弥合这一学科差距，调查人员于2009年10月召开了一次由国家科学基金会支持的催化研讨会。在这次研讨会上，15名应邀与会的海洋科学和/或进化生物学专家确定了一系列讨论重点，将在随后的更大的跨学科社区论坛上讨论。这些问题包括：进化论能否帮助预测海洋生物对全球变化的反应？不同类群和不同环境的临界环境变化率是多少？表型可塑性的极限是什么？它与长期进化的关系是什么？ 许多复杂的、共同发生的环境因素将成为海洋气候变化的典型，它们如何相互作用以确定适应性？ 我们如何根据气候变化的进化理论来解释海洋基因组？我们能用进化论来预测复杂动态系统的后果吗？进化是否有助于缓冲生态系统对环境变化的反应？应生物海洋学项目的邀请，研究人员将于2010年5月在卡塔利纳岛的南加州大学箭牌研究所会议设施召开一个由NSF支持的约50名受邀参与者的研讨会，以解决这些开放性问题。其目的是在一个更大和更多样化的小组中利用和扩大催化讲习班的富有成效的讨论。这次研讨会将审查海洋科学界目前对全球变化对海洋生物学影响的关切，并首次尝试提出建议，说明我们如何开始将进化生物学的基本原则纳入我们对这些过程的理解。核心指导委员会、原来的更大的催化委员会和许多新的受邀研讨会参与者将由海洋全球变化地球化学和生物学、有机体生理学方面的专家以及公认的进化生物学权威组成。解决这些几乎未触及的问题的方法也将被探索，从现代基因组学和蛋白质组学方法到实验室和现场实验和观察，以及定量生物和地球化学建模。更广泛的影响指导委员会致力于促进科学的多样性，并将积极寻求早期职业科学家，女性研究人员和代表性不足的群体的成员的参与。研究生和本科生教育将通过鼓励我们的学生参加全体会议来进一步发展，这些会议也将向公众开放。我们的讨论结果将通过研讨会报告，通过向NSF项目经理和科学会议场地的口头报告，以及在高影响力的同行评审期刊上计划的摘要文章，向科学界传播。科学和公众宣传都将有针对性地在研讨会网站上发布全体会议的演讲大纲和幻灯片，我们的最终报告，以及一般观众的在线摘要。

Intellectual MeritHow marine biology will react to ongoing global change-driven chemical and physical alterations in the marine environment is presently uncertain. It is clear, though, that biological evolution (adaptation) as well as other processes such as phenotypic plasticity and epigenetics are potential responses to global change. These processes are not well understood in marine systems, but could be crucial because they can prevent extirpation or local extinction of marine biota. The role of adaptation in rapidly changing marine ecosystems thus urgently needs consideration. However, most oceanographers are not experts in evolutionary biology and theory, and vice versa. To address this question and begin to bridge this disciplinary gap, the investigators convened an NSF-supported catalytic workshop in October 2009. At this workshop 15 invited experts in marine science and/or evolutionary biology identified a set of discussion priorities to be addressed at a subsequent larger, interdisciplinary community forum. These included: Can evolutionary theory help predict how marine organisms will react to global change? What are the critical rates of environmental change for different taxa and different environments? What are the limits to phenotypic plasticity and what is its relationship to long-term evolution? How do the many complex, co-occurring environmental factors that will typify climate change in the oceans interact to determine fitness? How can we interpret marine genomes in light of evolutionary theories with regard to climate change? Can we use evolutionary theory to predict consequences for complex, dynamic systems? Does evolution contribute to buffering ecosystem responses to environmental changes?At the invitation of the Biological Oceanography Program the investigators will convene an NSF-supported workshop of about 50 invited participants, to be held at the USC Wrigley Institute conference facility on Catalina Island in May of 2010 that will address these open questions. The intention is to build upon and extend the productive discussions from the catalytic workshop in a larger and more diverse group. This workshop will examine the current concerns of the ocean science community about impacts of global change on marine biology, and try for the first time to craft recommendations about how we could begin to incorporate basic principles of evolutionary biology into our understanding of these processes. The coPIs on the core steering committee, the original larger catalytic committee, and many new invited workshop participants will consist of experts in ocean global change biogeochemistry and biology, organismal physiology, and also recognized authorities in evolutionary biology. Ways to address these almost untouched questions will also be explored, ranging from modern genomics and proteomics approaches to laboratory and field experimentation and observation and quantitative biological and biogeochemical modeling.Broader ImpactsThe steering committee is committed to fostering diversity in science and will actively seek participation by early career scientists, female investigators, and members of underrepresented groups. Graduate and undergraduate education will be furthered by encouraging our students to attend the plenary sessions, which will also be open to the public. Dissemination of our discussion findings to the scientific community will be accomplished through the workshop report, through oral presentations to NSF program managers and at scientific meeting venues, and a planned summary article in a high impact peer-reviewed journal. Both scientific and public outreach will be targeted on the workshop website by posting plenary talk outlines and slides, our final report, and a general audience summary online.