Workshop to advance theory and use of meta-analysis in ecology in the U.S. and China; Spring, 2015, Beijing, China

元分析是对同一主题的个别科学研究的量化综合，可以成为揭示自然界总体模式的有力方法。在过去的二十年里，Meta分析的数学理论和统计技术有了很大的发展。这次研讨会的第一个目标是激发所需的进一步进展，以帮助荟萃分析应对生态研究的特殊挑战，这些研究涉及具有许多因素的复杂系统。研讨会将汇集荟萃分析专家和生态学中关键、复杂问题的专家。元分析人员将向生态学家展示当前元分析的潜力，生态学家将向元分析人员通报仍超过这一潜力的挑战，团队将计划出版一本关于如何提高元分析能力的出版物，以对关键生态问题产生新的见解。研讨会的第二个目标是让美国的研究人员更好地接触到中国目前正在进行的大量且迅速增加的生态研究。通过在中国举办研讨会，并让美国和中国的参与者参加，组织者将促进所需的合作，利用这一重要的科学信息来源推进对两个大陆共同的生态问题的荟萃分析。研讨会预期的较长期成果将是利用大量文献对这些复杂问题进行新颖的荟萃分析。研讨会预计将产生更广泛的影响，包括对博士后学者和研究生进行生态学元分析方面的高级培训，加强学科和国家之间的科学合作，并提供新的科学信息来指导美国的环境政策和管理。六位组织者是美国生态学元分析领域的两位领先实践者和四位复杂生态问题的专家，其中两位来自美国，另一位来自中国。这三个目标问题将是生物多样性的维护、人类利用自然资源的生态影响以及气候变化的生态后果。Meta分析的预期进展包括处理缺失信息的新技术、措施或研究的非独立性、系统发育限制、实验设计的严密性差异以及不同系统、分类和区域的不均匀覆盖。为期五天的研讨会计划于2015年春季在北京举行。将邀请约26人参加，其中包括约8名博士后学者和研究生。

Meta-analysis, the quantitative synthesis of individual scientific studies on the same topic, can be a powerful way to reveal overall patterns in nature. In the last two decades, the mathematical theory and statistical techniques for meta-analysis have developed greatly. The first goal of this workshop is to spark the further advances needed to help meta-analysis meet the special challenges of ecological studies that involve complex systems with many factors. The workshop will bring experts in meta-analysis together with experts on key, complex issues in ecology. Meta-analysts will show ecologists the current potentials of meta-analysis, ecologists will inform meta-analysts of challenges that still exceed this potential, and teams will plan a publication on how to advance the capabilities of meta-analysis to yield new insights on critical ecological issues. The second goal of the workshop is to give researchers in the U.S. better access to the very large and rapidly increasing number of ecological studies now being conducted in China. By holding the workshop in China and having participants based in the U.S. and China, organizers will foster the cooperation needed to use this important source of scientific information to advance meta-analysis on ecological issues that are common to both continents. The anticipated longer-term outcome of the workshop will be novel meta-analyses on these complex issues using large literatures. The expected broader impacts of the workshop include advanced training of post-doctoral scholars and graduate students in meta-analysis in ecology, strengthening of scientific collaboration between disciplines and nations, and provision of new scientific information to guide environmental policy and management in the U.S.The six organizers are two leading practitioners of meta-analysis in ecology in the U.S. and four experts on complex ecological issues, two from the U.S. and from China. The three target issues will be maintenance of biodiversity, ecological effects of human uses of natural resources, and ecological consequences of changes in climate. Anticipated advances in meta-analysis include new techniques for dealing with missing information, non-independence of measures or studies, phylogenetic constraints, variation in rigor of experimental design, and uneven coverage of different systems, taxa, and regions. The five-day workshop is planned to take place by the spring of 2015 in Beijing. Approximately 26 participants will be invited, including about 8 post-doctoral scholars and graduate students.