SICB 2012 Society-Wide Symposium: The Impacts of Developmental Plasticity on Evolutionary Innovation and Diversification; January 3-7, 2012 Mtg; Charleston, SC

进化论是用来解释所有生物多样性起源的概念框架，它本身在过去的两个世纪里一直在演变。自20世纪初以来，生物学家一直在将达尔文进化论和遗传学结合在一起，这被称为现代进化合成：随着我们更多地了解产生单个生物体的遗传机制，我们可以更好地理解自然选择等过程是如何塑造这些遗传机制的，从而产生新的特征、新的物种和新的疾病株。虽然这种学科的融合被证明是巨大的成果，但越来越明显的是，进化理论通过将发育生物学和环境生物学整合到现有的概念框架中，为其自身进化的另一次飞跃做好了准备。在历史上，生物学家只考虑环境在进化中的单一作用；它是自然选择的代理人，决定哪些个体适应良好，足以存活足够长的时间，留下同样适应良好的后代，而哪些适应不良的个体不能。然而，发育生物学现在告诉我们，环境也影响着基因在发育过程中如何转化为特征，相同的基因在不同的环境中产生不同的特征(发育可塑性)。因此，环境会影响不同个体的特征，然后在其中进行选择。理论预测，环境的这种双重作用可能会影响进化的特征类型、新物种形成的方式以及进化发生的速度。现在是用实验证据来检验理论的时候了；因此，全社会的研讨会旨在推动该领域的发展，而不仅仅是认识到需要进一步研究以设计和实施有效的研究计划。本着这一新的研究路线的综合精神，聚集了一个不同的研究小组，他们使用不同的方法研究各种生物体的发育可塑性及其后果。这种将思想转化为行动的关注应该会在许多实验室刺激新的研究途径，最重要的是为研究生和初级调查人员提供新的想法，新一代科学家的任务是确定前所未有的环境变化速度的所有后果。

Evolutionary theory, the conceptual framework used to explain the origins of all biological diversity, has itself been evolving over the past two centuries. Since the early 20th century, biologists have been integrating Darwinian evolution and genetics in what is known as the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis: as we learn more about the genetic mechanisms that produce individual organisms, we can better understand how processes such as natural selection shape these genetic mechanisms to produce new traits, new species and new strains of diseases. While this fusion of disciplines has proven enormously fruitful, it is becoming increasingly clear that evolutionary theory is primed for another leap forward in its own evolution, through the integration of developmental and environmental biology into the existing conceptual framework. Historically, biologists considered only a single role for the environment in evolution; it is the agent of natural selection, determining which individuals are well-adapted to survive long enough to leave similarly well-adapted offspring, and which poorly-adapted individuals do not. However, developmental biology now tells us that the environment also impacts how genes are translated into traits during development, with the same genes producing different traits in different environments (developmental plasticity). Thus, the environment affects what traits develop in different individuals, and then selects among them. Theory predicts that this dual role of the environment can impact the types of traits that evolve, the way new species form, and the speed with which evolution occurs. It is time for theory to be tested by experimental evidence; thus, the society-wide symposium is designed to advance the field beyond recognizing the need for further research toward designing and implementing effective research programs. In the integrative spirit of this new line of inquiry, a diverse group of researchers has been assembled who study developmental plasticity and its consequences in a variety of organisms, using diverse approaches. This focus on translating thought to action should stimulate new avenues of research in many labs, most importantly providing new ideas to graduate students and beginning investigators, the new generation of scientists tasked with determining all of the consequences of unprecedented rates of environmental change.