Mathematical Models and Experimental Microbial Systems: Tools for Studying Evolution

本次研讨会的目标是将数学家和生命科学家聚集在一起，讨论进化生态学中一些主要问题的挑战和探索解决方案。研讨会将特别关注最近一期《科学》杂志上强调的两个问题：是什么决定了物种多样性？合作行为是如何进化的？人们认识到，要增进我们对与这些问题有关的问题的理解，将需要一项涉及数学界和生物界相互作用的重大跨学科努力。解决上述问题的一种方法是进行实验室实验，在那里可以观察到进化的发生，并在遗传水平上获得高质量的数据。最近，这类研究大量使用微生物，包括细菌、病毒、酵母菌和一些黏菌。与此同时，许多进化的数学模型正在被开发出来，重要的预测正在做出，但通过数据的全面挑战来测试和完善这些模型的情况仍然很少。因此，举办一个将生物界和数学界聚集在一起的研讨会将是极其重要和及时的。计划于2007年1月在巴斯大学举行的为期3天的研讨会是一个更广泛的研究计划的第一步，该计划涉及建立一个跨学科网络，旨在弥合两个社区之间的差距，并建立将导致长期合作的联系。

The goal of the proposed workshop is to bring together mathematicians and life scientists to discuss challenges and explore solutions to some of the major problems in evolutionary ecology. In particular the workshop will focus around two questions that have been highlighted in a recent issue of Science: What determines species diversity? How did cooperative behaviour evolve? It was acknowledged that the advancement of our understanding of the issues relating to these questions will require a major interdisciplinary effort involving interactions between mathematical and biological communities.One way of approaching the above problems is to perform laboratory experiments where evolution can be observed as it happens and where good quality data at the genetic level can be obtained. There has been a recent explosion of such studies using micro-organism that include bacteria, viruses, yeast and some slime moulds. At the same time numerous mathematical models of evolution are being developed, important predictions are being made but it is still rare that the models are tested and refined through being fully challenged by data.Holding a workshop that will bring together biological and mathematical communities would therefore be extremely important and timely.The proposed 3 day workshop to be held at the University of Bath in January 2007 is the first step of a wider research plan that involves the creation of an interdisciplinary network aimed at bridging the gap between the two communities and forging links that will lead to long-term collaborations.