Registration is now open for any graduate students, postdocs, faculty,
or researchers interested in the Speciation Gordon Research Conference,
Ventura CA, March 2-7 2025

https://www.grc.org/speciation-conference/2025/

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cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion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
<https://www.grc.org/speciation-grs-conference/2025/> 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" <daniel.bolnick@uconn.edu>

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