Meeting: With a Little help from my Friends: Microbial Partners in Integrative and Comparative Biology, a Symposium for the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB)

居住在其他生物体上的微生物，即“微生物群”，种类繁多，数量众多，它们对宿主生物体的健康和福祉的重要性正日益得到认识。在大多数情况下，关于微生物与其宿主之间相互作用的科学研究主要集中在人类或模式物种（例如，实验室小鼠）上，以努力了解与人类健康有关的问题。然而，对微生物在其宿主的生态和生理中所起作用的研究是一个迅速发展的领域，并且对人类健康和农业实践有很大的贡献。组织者将于2017年1月4日至8日在综合与比较生物学学会年会上举办一次研讨会，汇集了许多研究宿主-微生物相互作用的科学家。9位演讲者和两位研讨会组织者应邀出席研讨会，讨论他们的研究项目。为了扩大会议的参与面，主办方邀请了7位女性发言人和2个少数民族。除了研究报告，组织者还将举办一个3小时的研讨会，讨论综合和比较生物学中微生物组研究的工具、技术和挑战。本次研讨会将向SICB的研究人员介绍这些方法。最近的研究表明，动物不是个体，而是拥有高度多样化和相互作用的微生物群落的“整体生物”。这些微生物群落为它们的宿主提供了许多服务和功能。在大多数情况下，宿主-微生物相互作用的研究都集中在人类或针对人类健康的模型系统上。然而，对微生物在其宿主的生态和进化中所起作用的研究是一个迅速发展的领域。组织者将举办一个研讨会，汇集了许多研究宿主-微生物相互作用的研究人员，这也涵盖了综合与比较生物学学会（SICB）成员的兴趣。本次会议将于2017年1月4日至8日在洛杉矶新奥尔良与SICB年度会议同时举行，由丹尼斯·迪林博士（犹他大学）和凯文·科尔博士（范德比尔特大学）组织。9位演讲者和研讨会组织者应邀出席研讨会，讨论他们的研究项目。为了扩大会议的参与面，主办方邀请了7位女性发言人和2个少数民族。除了研究报告，组织者还将举办一个3小时的研讨会，讨论综合和比较生物学中微生物组研究的工具、技术和挑战。这将使SICB的研究人员接触到这些方法。本次会议和研讨会的结果将发表在《综合与比较生物学》杂志上。

The vast diversity and number of microbes that reside on other organisms, i.e., the "microbiota", are increasingly being recognized for their importance in the health and well-being of their host organisms. For the most part, scientific studies on the interactions between microbes and their hosts have largely been focused on humans or model species (e.g., laboratory mice) in an effort to understand issues related to human health. However, research into roles that microbes play in the ecology and physiology of their host is a rapidly growing area, and one that has much to contribute to human health and agricultural practices. The organizers will host a symposium that brings together a number of scientists that investigate host-microbe interactions at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology's annual meeting January 4-8, 2017. Nine speakers and the two symposium organizers have been invited to present seminars discussing their research programs. The organizers have made efforts to broaden participation in this meeting by inviting seven female speakers and two racial/ethnic minorities. In addition to the research presentations, the organizers will host a 3-hour workshop discussing the tools, techniques, and challenges of microbiome research in integrative and comparative biology. This symposium will expose researchers in SICB to these methods.Recent studies have revealed that animals are not individuals but rather are "holobionts" that host highly diverse and interactive communities of microbes. These microbial communities provide a number of services and functions to their hosts. For the most part, investigations in the host-microbial interactions have been focused on humans or model systems targeted at human health. However, research into roles that microbes play in the ecology and evolution of their host is a rapidly growing area. The organizers will host a symposium that brings together a number of researchers that investigate host-microbe interactions, which also spans the interests of members of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB). This meeting will take place in conjunction with the annual meeting of SICB in New Orleans, LA, from January 4-8, 2017 and is organized by Dr. Denise Dearing (University of Utah) and Dr. Kevin D. Kohl (Vanderbilt University). Nine speakers and the symposium organizers have been invited to present seminars discussing their research programs. The organizers have made efforts to broaden participation in this meeting by inviting seven female speakers and two racial/ethnic minorities. In addition to the research presentations, the organizers will host a 3-hour workshop discussing the tools, techniques, and challenges of microbiome research in integrative and comparative biology. This will expose researchers in SICB to these methods. Results from this meeting and workshop will be published in the journal Integrative and Comparative Biology.