Meeting: Ctenopalooza - A Workshop on Ctenophore Biology, March 14-15, 2015, Saint Augustine, Florida

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

The first international workshop on ctenophore biology will be held at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience in St. Augustine, FL on March 14-15, 2016. This meeting will bring together researchers studying the biology of ctenophores. Ctenophores, also known as comb jellies, are a group of animals found in nearly all marine environments (coastal and oceanic, deep sea as well as surface waters). Most species are planktonic and move by the beating of eight ciliary bands, which is the distinct morphological character uniting the group. Recent biogeographic and evolutionary findings, as well as published genomic resources and access to deep water have brought a great deal of attention to these animals, resulting in a revived research activity. The purpose of this international ctenophore workshop is to bring together the burgeoning community of ctenophore biologists, foster cross-disciplinary collaborations, discuss improvements and expansion of community resources, and share expertise relating to field, experimental, and culture techniques. Furthermore, the workshop has been designed to foster interactions between junior scientists (undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers) and senior researchers to inspire the next generation of ctenophore biologists to identify and take on the big open questions that can only be answered by studying ctenophores. The recent influx of interest in these fascinating and important animals presents an opportunity to explore future directions and address some of the challenges for expansion of ctenophore research. This will be the first meeting completely dedicated to studying ctenophores, and the results will be published in an open-access journal to facilitate the broadest possible distribution of ideas generated during this workshop. Recent studies suggest that ctenophores are the sister group to all other animals and as such, are a critical group for understanding the biology of the last common ancestor of all animals. These findings have been corroborated by analyses of the complete nuclear genomes of two ctenophores. The availability of these data and the implications of the phylogenetic position (e.g., independent origin or loss of neural cell types within animals) have captured the attention of a wide audience, and research on these animals has grown. Although interest in ctenophores continues to grow, these animals remain relatively poorly studied and often misrepresented. Thus, it is important to identify ways to improve and expand community resources, as well as share expertise relating to culturing and experimental techniques. The workshop will bring together researchers from a variety of fields (e.g., taxonomy, ecology, neurobiology, evodevo, and behavior) to identify ways to improve resources, to foster collaborations, and to promote cross-disciplinary approaches to studying these unique creatures.