Key Innovations in Animal Systematics and Evolution: An SICB Symposium in Phoenix, AZ, January 5, 2007

American Museum Natural History, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

Funding from this grant helps implement a symposium at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology meetings in Phoenix Arizona in January, 2007. The title of the symposium is Key Transitions in Animal Evolution. The symposium brings together a diverse group of leading molecular and organismal biologists to discuss current controversies concerning the evolution of animal form. Because of the diversity of approaches used in the past to examine the evolution of animal life, the symposium will attempt to integrate topics on animal form that have been addressed from molecular and organismal perspectives. In this context, ideas about the key transitions that have led to the incredible diversity of animal forms can be discussed and integrated by both approaches to biology. It is expected that these overdue discussions in this symposium will shape future research on key transitions in metazoan evolution for some time.