Title: 
Kunming 4thAsiaEvo AnimalAppendageEvoDevo Dec8-11

The 4th AsiaEvo Conference is to be held at Kunming, China from December
8th-11th: https://2025asiaevoconf.casconf.cn/page/1871808601803329537
The confirmed keynote speakers include Profs. Mark Stoneking,
Michael Lynch, Min Zhu, Scott Edwards, Shigeru Kuratani and more:
https://2025asiaevoconf.casconf.cn/page/1876555451991199744

I am organising a symposium with my student Wen Kang 'The Evolution
and Development of Animal Appendages' with three invited speakers:
Cheng-Ming Chuong from USC, Xing Xu from IVPP, Chinese Academy of Sciences
and Antonia Monteiro from NUS

Appendages represent one of the most extraordinary examples of
evolutionary innovation, underpinning the adaptive diversification
of animals across disparate ecological niches.  From the emergence
of paired fins in jawed vertebrates to the remarkable morphological
radiation of tetrapod limbs, arthropod appendages, and integumentary
structures such as scales and feathers, appendages have played a
pivotal role in shaping animal form and function. This symposium
integrates paleontology, classical evolutionary developmental biology
(evo-devo), and cutting-edge genomic and cellular approaches to
unravel the mechanisms underlying appendage origin, development, and
evolution.Modern evo-devo research has redefined appendages as dynamic
secondary body axes characterized by distinct proximo-distal patterning
mechanisms. This expanded framework encompasses not only classical
limbs but also genital structures, tails, and even "virtual appendages"
like butterfly eyespots. Despite their vast morphological diversity,
appendages share deeply conserved developmental pathways, including HOX,
Hedgehog, BMP, and WNT signalings, that have been repeatedly co-opted
and modified throughout evolution. Also, key evolutionary transitions,
such as the fin to limb transition in vertebrates, the scale to feather
transformation in avian ancestors, and the modification of arthropod
appendages into specialized structures like insect wings and beetle
horns, provide critical insights into how developmental constraints and
innovations drive evolutionary change.Overall, this symposium aims to
offer deep insights into the developmental and evolutionary mechanisms
in different types of appendages and ultimately advance the understanding
of life's morphological innovations.

Please submit your abstracts of oral or poster presentation to the
session, look forward to see you in Kunming, the 'spring city' this
winter.

Qi Zhou
zhouqi1982@zju.edu.cn
qizhoulab.org

Zhejiang University

Zhou Qi <zhouqi1982@zju.edu.cn>

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