Symposium: 'Starting from Fins: Parallelism in the Evolution of Limbs and Reproductive Structures', Chicago, IL, January 3-7, 2001

研究进化和发育的研究人员认为，鳍的起源、发育和向四肢、手指和外部生殖结构的过渡是其学科的基本问题之一。虽然在配对鳍(胸鳍)到前肢和配对鳍(骨盆)到后肢的过渡过程中，有一些关于这些问题的理论，但没有关于中间未配对的鳍(肛门)到外部生殖结构的过渡的理论。然而，各种生物系统中关于成对鳍到肢体转变的研究已经足够多，研究人员应该开始综合关于成对鳍转变的已知知识，并将这些知识扩展到中间不成对的鳍向外部生殖结构的转变。2001年1月在综合与比较生物学学会会议上举行的题为“从鳍开始：肢体和外部生殖结构进化中的并行性”的研讨会将为一群科学家提供一个论坛，他们的工作重点是鳍、肢体、手指和外部生殖结构之间的进化、发育、生理和系统发育平行。演讲者将讨论发育中的平行问题(即，相似的解剖结构、基因和外观惊人相似的发育程序的出现)。他们将解决序列同源性(个体内形态相同的片段和基因的重复)的问题。最后，他们将讨论基因、解剖结构和发育程序的变化，这些变化可能与个体生活史中功能和栖息地的变化有关。本次研讨会的总体目标是：1)阐明鳍、四肢和外部生殖结构发育的共同进化机制；2)为演讲者和与会者提供机会，就平行、序列同源性和过渡等“大问题”展开对话。

Researchers studying evolution and development consider questions regarding the origins, development, and transitions of fins to limbs, digits and external reproductive structures to be one of the fundamental issues in their discipline. Although there are several theories regarding these issues in the transition of paired fins (pectoral) to fore limbs and paired fins (pelvic) to hind limbs, there are no theories regarding the transition of the median unpaired fin (anal) to external reproductive structures. However, the body of research on paired fins to limb transitions in a variety of biological systems is sufficient enough that investigators should begin to synthesize what is known about the transitions of paired fins and extend that knowledge to the transition of the median unpaired fin to external reproductive structures.A symposium entitled "Starting from Fins: Parallelism in the Evolution of Limbs and External Reproductive Structures" held at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Conference in January 2001 will provide a forum for a group of scientists whose work focuses on the evolutionary, developmental, physiological, and phylogenetic parallelism between fins, limbs, digits and external reproductive structures. Speakers will address issues of parallelism in development (i.e., the occurrence of analogous anatomical structures, genes, and developmental programs that present striking similarity of appearance). They will address issues in serial homology (the repetition of morphologically identical segments and genes within individuals). Finally, they will address changes in genes, anatomical structures, and developmental programs that may be linked to changes in function and habitat during an individual life history. The overall objectives of this symposium are to 1) elucidate common evolutionary mechanisms in the development of fins, limbs and external reproductive structures and 2) provide presenters and participants an opportunity to begin a dialog on "big picture questions" regarding parallelism, serial homology, and transitions.