Aquatic habitats as ecological islands

[Francisco KELMO]

Dear All,
Some modifications were made and deadline for abstract submission  
was changed! 
I am looking forward to see coral reef people here in September.
Cheers, Francisco.

Aquatic habitats as ecological islands
Tuesday 5 - Thursday 7 September 2000

There will be a joint meeting between the Aquatic Ecology Group of 
the BES, the Marine Biological Association and the Freshwater 
Biological Association on the above theme. The meeting will be held 
at the Robbin's conference centre at the University of Plymouth.

This meeting will address several topical issues in aquatic ecology 
under the general subject of island biology and its applicability to 
aquatic systems.  Paper and poster sessions on the first two days 
will focus on: 

. Evolution and biogeography in freshwater and marine systems
. The role of dispersal in shaping aquatic assemblages
. Habitat fragmentation and metapopulation dynamics
. Genetic differentiation in aquatic taxa

Papers addressing aspects of the topic outside these themes will also be welcomed.

There will be a choice of field excursions on the final day. 

We hope that this meeting will attract scientists working on a diverse range of habitats 
within the aquatic realm and encourage the search for commonality in 
patterns and processes among systems. We have already assembled an 
array of guest speakers with diverse research interests and we hope 
that these will be complimented by additional oral esentations and 
posters.

Guest speakers:

HARILAOS LESSIOS (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama)
Genetic isolation and genetic diversity of marine populations on oceanic islands.

ALEX ROGERS (University of Southampton) 
Getting in to hot water: ecological islands in the deep sea.

AXEL MEYER (University of Konstanz) 
Patterns and Processes in the Evolution of Adaptive Radiations in East African Cichlid Fish.

CHRIS TODD (University of St Andrews)  
Larval Dispersal and Population Differentiation in the Marine Environment: 
Generalisations and Variations on a Theme.

BETH OKAMURA (University of Reading)  
Waterfowl-mediated Dispersal in Freshwater Invertebrates.

GARY CARVAHLO (University of Hull)
The evolution of population differentiation: isolation, gene flow and adaptive significance.

GEORGE TURNER (University of Southampton)
Why are there so many Cichlid fish species in African lakes?

DAVID BILTON (University of Plymouth)
Population differentiation in freshwater invertebrates: what have genetic studies revealed so far?


Oral presentations will be of 15 minutes duration with five minutes allowed for questions. 
Posters will be displayed throughout the meeting, with a dedicated 
poster session also scheduled. There will also be the choice of field 
excursions to local habitats on the final day.

Abstracts for papers and posters should be submitted by e-mail to Simon Rundle on 
S.Rundle at plymouth.ac.uk. If possible, please send your abstract as an 
e-mail attachment in WORD-7 format. Closing date for abstracts is 
17th April 2000. The deadline for registration will be 1st July 2000.

Abstract should not exceed 250 words in length should conform to the example given below.

Corresponding Author: Dr Tom Jones, Department of Ecology, 
University of Anywhere, Anywhere, XX1 1XX, United Kingdom
Tel: 0111 111 1111, Fax:0111 111 1112
email: a.b.jones at anywhere.ac.uk
Preferred Form of Presentation: Oral Paper

Authors: JONES, T., SMITH, P.S. (University of Anywhere)
The influence of habitat patch size on the communities within seagrass meadows.
Abstract_(250 words maximum)

Full details of registration will appear in the May BES bulletin and on the web site (see below). If you are unable to access either of these please contact Simon Rundle (see details below) after May 1st for a registration form. The conference fee of stlg50 includes an abstract booklet, all lunches, an evening boat cruise (with food) and a reception at the MBA. Accommodation in the University conference will be available at a cost of approximately stlg25 per night bed and breakfast.

For more details on the call for papers, registration and accommodation, 
visit the conference web pages which can be accessed via the Benthic 
Ecology Research Group page at: 
http://www.science.plymouth.ac.uk/departments/biology/Research/BERG.H
TM or contact Dr Simon Rundle, Department of Biological Sciences, 
University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA. Tel: 01752 
232967. FAX 01752 232970. E-mail: srundle at plym.ac.uk.

Francisco Kelmo
Coral Reef Ecology
Benthic Ecology Research Group
613 Davy Building, University of Plymouth,
Drake Circus, Devon, PL4 8AA
United Kingdon.
Phone: +44 (0)1752 232951 (Lab) +44 (0)870 710 5741 (home)
Fax: +44 (0)1752 232970
E-mail: fkelmo at plymouth.ac.uk