Registration is open for any graduate students or postdocs interested in attending the Speciation Gordon Research Symposium (GRS), Ventura CA, March1-2 2025. This Symposium is for graduate students and postdocs only, and precedes the Speciation Gordon Research Conference (GRC) March 2-7 in the same venue. The deadline to submit abstracts for talks at the GRS is November 24, and there are still spaces available for registrations. register for the GRS here (postdocs and grad students only) and submit a talk or poster abstract: https://www.grc.org/speciation-grs-conference/2025/ register for the GRC here (postdocs and grad students and faculty all welcome), and submit a poster abstract: https://www.grc.org/speciation-conference/2025/ Sincerely, Dan Bolnick (Speciation GRC Chair) University of Connecticut Information about the Speciation GRC follows: Proximate Mechanisms and Ultimate Consequences of Speciation The Speciation GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field. Speciation is the process by which one species splits into two, leading to increases in biological diversity, both in terms of species richness and phenotypic diversity. The process of speciation entails a combination of phenotypic, genetic, ecological, and reproductive divergence. Often speciation research focuses on the emergent outcome of this divergence, such as reproductive isolation. But, the genetic divergence has detailed mechanistic underpinnings that must be understood if we are to build a comprehensive view of speciation processes. For example, hybrid inviability may be understood more fully through the lens of gene regulatory networks, or developmental biology. Premating reproductive isolation in animals often requires an understanding of the neurobiology and behavioral mechanisms of mate choice, while pollinator-mediated isolation between plants requires an understanding of pollinator ecology and sensory biology and behavior. Ecological speciation can trace its roots to detailed mechanistic understanding of prey capture and foraging decisions (for competition driven speciation), predator-prey interactions, or immunology for parasite-driven speciation. Speciation research therefore is enriched when it draws on detailed analysis of proximate mechanisms (e.g., genetic, developmental, physiological, ecological) that produce emergent properties like reproductive isolation. For the 2025 GRC on Speciation, we seek to bring together biologists studying a range of mechanistic processes that are pertinent to our understanding of speciation, to interact with other biologists who may make speciation and macroevolution their primary focus. By bridging the study of proximate mechanisms of divergence and ultimate outcomes for biodiversity, we hope to foster new collaborations, new insights, and to broaden the speciation research community. This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Speciation" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information. The topics, speakers, and discussion leaders for the conference sessions are displayed below. The conference chair is currently developing their detailed program, which will include the complete meeting schedule, as well as the talk titles for all speakers. The detailed program will be available by November 2, 2024. Please check back for updates. Mating System Evolution and Speciation Discussion Leaders * Yaniv Brandvain (University of Minnesota, United States) Speakers * Katja Kasimatis (University of Virginia, United States) * David Moeller (University of Minnesota, United States) Developmental Biology as a Basis for Divergence, Isolation, and Speciation Discussion Leaders * Asano Ishikawa (The University of Tokyo, Japan) Speakers * Daehan Lee (Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea) * Claudius Kratochwil (University of Helsinki, Finland) * Virginie Courtier-Orgogozo (CNRS - Institut Jacques Monod - Univ Paris Cite, France) * Polina Novikova (Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Germany) Neurobiology of Mate Choice and Premating Isolation Discussion Leaders * Amanda Moehring (Western University, Canada) Speakers * Yuki Ishikawa (Nagoya University, Japan) * Richard Merrill (LMU, Munich, Germany) * Markus Knaden (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany) Beyond Traditional DMI Models: The Role of Incompatibilities in Speciation Discussion Leaders * Asher Cutter (University of Toronto, Canada) Speakers * Molly Schumer (Stanford University, United States) * Daniel Barbash (Cornell University, United States) * Zhongying Zhao (Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR China) * Leslie Turner (University of Bath, United Kingdom) Ecological Dynamics and Coevolution as Drivers of Speciation Discussion Leaders * Imroze Khan (Ashoka University, India) Speakers * Akito Kawahara (University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, United States) * Göran Arnqvist (Uppsala University, Sweden) Microevolutionary Mechanisms of Multivariate Trait Divergence During Speciation Discussion Leaders * Ivalu Cacho (Instituto de Biologia, UNAM, Mexico) Speakers * Kira Delmore (Texas A&M University, United States) * Katie Peichel (University of Bern, Switzerland) * Matthew McGee (Monash University, Australia) * Melisa Olave (CONICET, Argentina, Argentina) * Michael White (University of Georgia, United States) Experimental Approaches to Studying Speciation Discussion Leaders * Anna Bazzicalupo (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom) Speakers * Jasmine Ono (University of Nottingham, United Kingdom) * Lutz Becks (Univeristy of Konstanz, Germany) Models of Proximate Mechanisms of Speciation and Diversification Discussion Leaders * Claudia Bank (University of Bern, Switzerland) Speakers * Ryo Yamaguchi (Hokkaido University, Japan) * Sam Yeaman (University of Calgary, Canada) * Maria Servedio (University of North Carolina, United States) * Hanna ten Brink (Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Macroevolutionary Patterns of Speciation and Extinction in the Anthropocene Discussion Leaders * Moises Exposito-Alonso (University of California Berkeley, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, United States) Speakers * Lesley Lancaster (University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom) * Chloé Schmidt (German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Germany) The GRC Power Hour Organizers * Sonal Singhal (CSU Dominguez Hills, United States) "Bolnick, Daniel" (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)