[Coral-List] ECRS Session "Coral Reef Epigenetics"

[Manuel ARANDA]

Dear fellow coral-listers,

We'd like to bring to your attention a session on "Coral Reef Epigenetics"
that we're chairing during the ECRS 2017 in Oxford (session abstract
below). Abstract submission is open until June 30 and we're looking forward
to contributions from a range of reef organisms and epigenetic mechanisms.

ECRS 2017: http://www.reefconservationuk.co.uk/ecrs-2017.html

Hope to see you there,
Manuel Aranda, Timothy Ravasi and Yi Jin Liew


*Coral Reef Epigenetics*

The alarming decline of coral reef health worldwide has raised concerns
that the rate of global change might outpace the capacity of coral reef
organisms to evolve in response to these threats. In species with long
generation times such as corals, genetic adaptation is a slow process that
is dependent on random mutations, with advantageous alleles spreading to
fixation across the population via natural selection. However, recent
studies suggest that some coral reef organisms such as corals, fishes and
sponges, can acclimate to some level of environmental change using
non-genetic mechanisms. These epigenetic mechanisms include various
molecular processes such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and
small non-coding RNAs. These mechanisms can dynamically alter gene
expression to better suit different environmental conditions. The study of
epigenetic mechanisms as means for coral reef organisms to adapt to a
changing environment is becoming increasingly important for future coral
reef resilience in the context of global climate change. This session will
serve as a platform for scientists working on epigenetics in coral reef
organisms to present and discuss their findings, and to introduce this
emerging field of study to a broader audience.


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Manuel Aranda Lastra
Assistant Professor
Coral Symbiomics Lab
Red Sea Research Center
Building 2, 2216, 4700 KAUST
Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Mobile: +966 544700661
https://coralsymbiomics.kaust.edu.sa

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