Symposium: Is Microbial Ecology Fundamentally Different? New Insights into Patterns and Controls of Microbial Diversity to be held August 1-6, 2004 Portland, Oregon

微生物占世界生物量的绝大多数，它们的多样性超过了所有其他生物。它们在地球自然历史的许多方面发挥着核心作用，包括营养物质的再生、污染物的分解和矿物的形成。尽管微生物具有数量优势和中心生态重要性，但人们对微生物生物多样性的了解仍然很少。这在一定程度上是由于学科界限，往往将参与微生物多样性研究的微生物学家与参与生物多样性一般研究的生态学家区分开来。已经组织了一次研讨会，将弥合这一分离。该研讨会已被列入在俄勒冈州波特兰举行的美国生态学会(ESA)年会(2004年8月1日至6日)的议程中。欧空局年度会议是规模最大、意义最重大的生态学家会议。我们的研讨会，题为“微生物生态学从根本上不同吗？对微生物多样性的模式和控制的新见解”，将通过促进涉及微生物学家和生态学家的跨学科研究而开辟新的天地。研讨会的一个主要目标是将微生物学家的工作与生态学理论和实践的最新趋势(到目前为止，主要是通过对宏观生物的研究而发展)相结合。人类面临的最关键的挑战之一是保护、恢复和明智地管理地球上多样化的生物资源。为了应对这些挑战，社会需要有关如何产生和维护这些资源的基本信息。描述生命多样性的模式是提供这种理解的关键的第一步。考虑到微生物的生态重要性，以及我们对其多样性的相对无知，记录微生物多样性的模式尤其关键。拟议的专题讨论会将提供一个独特的场所，交流有关微生物多样性模式的信息，并促进微生物和普通生态学家在国家和国际上就微生物多样性模式进行合作研究。该项目将作为一个平台，促进女性和职业早期研究人员成为这一新兴领域的领导者。

Microorganisms account for the vast majority of the world's biomass, and their diversity surpasses that of all other organisms. They play a central role in many aspects of the Earth's natural history, including the regeneration of nutrients, the breakdown of pollutants and the formation of minerals. Despite their numerical dominance and central ecological importance, microbial biodiversity remains poorly understood. This is due in part to the disciplinary boundaries that tend to separate microbiologists involved in microbial diversity studies from ecologists involved in the general study of biodiversity. A symposium has been organized that will bridge this separation. This symposium has been included in the program for the Ecological Society of America (ESA) Annual Meeting (August 1-6, 2004) in Portland, Oregon. The annual ESA meeting is the largest and most significant meeting of ecologists. Our symposium, entitled "Is Microbial Ecology Fundamentally Different? New Insights into Patterns and Controls of Microbial Diversity," will break new ground by facilitating interdisciplinary research involving microbiologists and ecologists. A major goal of the symposium is to integrate the work of microbiologists with the latest trends in ecological theory and practice (until now, developed largely through the study of macro-organisms).Among the most critical challenges facing humanity are the conservation, restoration and wise management of the Earth's diverse living resources. To meet these challenges, society requires basic information concerning how these resources are generated and maintained. Characterizing patterns in the diversity of life is a critical first step toward providing this understanding. Documenting patterns in microbial diversity is especially critical given the ecological importance of microbes and our relative ignorance regarding their diversity. The proposed symposium will provide a unique venue for exchanging information regarding patterns in microbial diversity, and for promoting collaborative research, nationally and internationally, between microbial and general ecologists regarding microbial diversity patterns. The program will serve as a platform to promote women and early-career researchers as leaders in this emerging area, as well.