8th Biennial Meeting: July 2011
Queen's University, Belfast

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4th - 8th July 2011  (hash tags #SAbiennial #SystAss)

Introduction

The Biennial conferences of the Systematics Association provide a forum for systematists from different disciplines to present and discuss their research. The Sixth Biennial Conference was held at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in August 2007. The conference was attended by about 240 delegates from a broad international audience. The format was a mixture of open sessions and focussed thematic symposia.

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Themes and Symposia

Symposia will include:

• Next Generation Systematics - studying evolution and diversity in an era of ubiquitous genomics
• Arthropod Systematics: are morphology, palaeontology and molecules coming together?
• Algal Systematics: where next?
• Advances in using museum specimens and ancient DNA in systematics research

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Please note that the timetable is subject to change

Monday 6th
Large Theatre
11:00-11:05	Welcome to 8th biennial conference of the Systematics Association Juliet Brodie
SYMPOSIUM: ALGAL SYSTEMATICS - WHERE NEXT? Chair: Juliet Brodie
11:05-12:00	KEYNOTE 1. Exploring the amazing world of algae, from cultures to single cells Debashish Bhattacharya
12:00-12:30	2. Horizontal gene transfer in algae John A. Raven
12:30-14:00	LUNCH
14:00-14:30	3. Genomic approaches to algal evolution: help or hindrance? John Bothwell
14:30-15:00	4. The rappemonads and their sisters: new and diverse additions to the algal tree of life Thomas A. Richards
15:00-15:30	5. Phylogeography of seaweeds: significance of cryptogenic species Frédéric Mineur
15:30-16:00	COFFEE
16:00-16:30	6. Glacial survival and unique genetic lineages under threat from current global climate change Jim Provan
CONTRIBUTED TALKS Chair: Juliet Brodie
16:30-16:50	7. Towards an understanding of phylogenomic relationships in the Bangiales (Rhodophyta) Juliet Brodie
16:50-17:10	8. New roles for systematics in next generation biology David Patterson
17:30-19:00	WELCOME RECEPTION

Tuesday 5th
Large Theatre
SYMPOSIUM: NEXT GENERATION SYSTEMATICS: STUDYING EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY IN AN ERA OF UBIQUITOUS GENOMICS Chairs: James Cotton, Peter Olson, Joseph Hughes
9:00-9:30	9. A genome-sequence tree for Nematoda based on hundreds of genomes Mark Blaxter
09:30-10:00	10. Using phylogenomics to resolve the fungal tree of life David Fitzpatrick
10:00-10:30	11. Pathogenomics: investigating bacterial microevolution through second generation genome sequencing Simon Harris
10:30-11:00	COFFEE
11:00-11:30	12. Plant systematics in the age of genomics revisited Dennis Stevenson
11:30-12:00	13. Insights into flatworm evolution through comparative genomics Magdalena Zarowiecki
12:00-12:30	14. Ultimate barcoding - next generation sequencing meets high throughput mitogenomics Peter Foster
12:30-14:00	LUNCH
14:00-14:30	15. Next-generation biodiversity analysis Mehrdad Hajijbabei
14:30-15:00	16. Ecological differentiation of eukaryotic microbial lineages using 454 sequencing David Bass
15:00-15:30	17. Analysing metagenomic data to estimate diversity Chris Quince
15:30-16:00	COFFEE
16:00-16:30	18. Next generation sequencing in population genetics of gall wasps Graham Stone
16:30-17:00	19. Ongoing evolution in allopolyploid genomes examined using next-generation sequencing Richard Buggs
17:00-18:00	KEYNOTE 20. The role of NGS for integrative approaches of evo-devo and population genetics Ralf Sommer
18:00-19:30	POSTERS AND DRINKS RECEPTION (sponsored by Cambridge University Press)

Wednesday 6th
	Large Theatre	Small Theatre
9:00-10:00	HOW-TO TALK 21. Clustal Omega and multiple sequence alignments Des Higgins Chair: James Cotton
	CONTRIBUTED TALKS - THEORY AND METHODS FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL DATA Chair: Matthew Wills	CONTRIBUTED TALKS - PLANT SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION Chair: Nina Rønsted
10:00-10:20	22. Stratigraphic congruence through geological time and across higher taxa: what factors explain the variation? Anne O'Connor	24. Snowdrops and snowflakes - falling slowly into place Nina Rønsted
10:20-10:40	23. Morphological disparity and clade shapes through time Martin Hughes	25. Phylogenetic studies of the aloes (Aloe L., Xanthorrhoeaceae) Olwen Grace
10:40-11:10	COFFEE
	CONTRIBUTED TALKS - ANIMAL SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION Chair: Julia Day	CONTRIBUTED TALKS - PLANT SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION CONT. Chair: Julien Massoni
11:10-11:30	26. Biogeography and diversification in Africa: a case study from a species rich catfish clade Julia Day	30. Evolutionary history of a 10,000-species clade of angiosperms: reconstructing the phylogeny of magnoliids as a whole Julien Massoni
11:30-11:50	27. Evolutionary ecology of Lake Tanganyika's Mastacembelid eels Katherine Brown	31. Comparative transcriptomics and genomics: determining the regulators of petal spot development and the evolution of this specialised floral trait within the species complex Gorteria diffusa Rachel Walker
11:50-12:10	28. Distinguishing signal, noise and bias in early animal evolution: The difficult problem of the sponge phylogeny Roberto Fueda	32. Testing the impact of calibration on molecular divergence times using a fossil-rich group: The case of Nothofagus (Fagales) Hervé Sauquet
12:10-12:30	29. Reconciling morphological and molecular classifications: an investigation of Hemiasterellidae (Demospongiae, Porifera) Christine Morrow	33. How to resolve conflict between taxonomy and phylogeny in basal living chitons (Mollusca: Ployplacophora) Julia Sigwart
12:30-	LUNCH EXCURSIONS

Thursday 7th
Large Theatre
SYMPOSIUM: ARTHROPOD SYSTEMATICS: ARE MORPHOLOGY, PALAEONTOLOGY AND MOLECULES COMING TOGETHER? Chairs: Davide Pisani, Omar Rota-Stabelli and Ronald Jenner
SESSION 1: THE ARTHROPODS AND THEIR OUTGROUPS
9:00-9:45	KEYNOTE 34. What have we learned from 25 years of animal molecular systematics? Max Telford
9:45-10:15	35. Neural characters and arthropod systematics Angelika Stollewerk
10:15-10:30	36. MicroRNA and phylogenomics reveal velvet worms as the arthropod sister group Lahcen Campbell
10:30-11:00	COFFEE
SESSION 2: THE ARTHROPODS AND THEIR OUTGROUPS CONTINUED
11:00-11:30	37. On the position of myriapods: insights from Onycophora (velvet worms) Georg Mayer
11:30-12:00	38. Molecular arthropod phylogeny: Early relationships and divergence times Thorsten Burmester
12:00-12:20	39. Ten years later: Phylogenetics utility and limitations of mitochondrial gene order Dennis Lavrov
12:20-13:00	DISCUSSION What is the outgroup to the arthropods? Is Mandibulata definitive?
13:00-14:00	LUNCH
SESSION 3: THE PANCRUSTACEA PROBLEM(S)
14:00-14:30	40. Sources of deep-level phylogenetic signal in 62 protein-coding nuclear genes from arthropods Jerome Regier
14:30-15:00	41. Phylogenomic and evolutionary aspects of Pancrustacea and Remipedia -the hope and headache of "phylogenomics" Bjöaut;rn von Reumont
15:00-15:30	DISCUSSION What is the outgroup to the hexapods?
15:30-16:00	COFFEE
SESSION 4: MOLECULES AND FOSSILS...
16:00-16:30	42. The Devil in the detail: modern morphological methods allow the confident placement of fossil arachnids as molecular calibration points Jason Dunlop
16:30-17:00	43. Morphological cladistics and arthropod phylogeny Greg Edgecombe
17:00-17:20	44. Are morphology-based cladograms of arthropods really less robust than those of vertebrates? Matt Wills
17:20-18:00	DISCUSSION Why is there a persistent gap in the arthropod, particularly myriapods, fossil record?
18:00-18:45	KEYNOTE 45. Vistas in arthropod evolution: throughout phylogeny, and beyond Alessandro Minelli
19.30 for 20.00	CONFERENCE BANQUET Belfast City Hall

Friday 8th
	Large Theatre	Small Theatre
	SYMPOSIUM: ADVANCES IN USING MUSEUM SPECIMENS AND ANCIENT DNA IN SYSTEMATICS RESEARCH Chairs: Patricia Lee and Samantha Mohun
9:00-9:30	46. Extracting DNA from museum collections of dried eggshells Patricia Lee
9:30-10:00	47. DNA damage repair and amplification from formalin fixed specimens Samantha Mohun
10:00-10:30	48. Museum archaeobotanical collections as a source of biomolecular information for archaeogenetic analysis Oliver Smith
10:30-11:00	COFFEE
11:00-11:30	49. Postglacial recolonisation mode of North American Amara alpina (Carabidae: Coleoptera) using museum and ancient DNA Peter Heintzmann
11:30-12:00	50. Developing museum molecular collections: "A global repository for schistosomiasis research Fiona Allen
12:00-12:30	51. Biobanking at the NHM London Jacqueline MacKenzie-Dodds
12:30-14:00	LUNCH
	CONTRIBUTED TALKS -ADVANCES IN USING MUSEUM SPECIMENS AND ANCIENT DNA IN SYSTEMATICS RESEARCH Chair: Christoph Hahn	CONTRIBUTED TALKS - THEORY AND METHODS OF PHYLOGENETICS Chair: Mark Wilkinson
14:00-14:20	52. Museomics for ectoparasites recovered from historical fish collections - lessons from Gyrodactylus Christoph Hahn	56. Fast Supertree Construction Mark Wilkinson
14:20-14:40	53. The DNA Bank Network - A platform for open access to voucher referenced DNA samples and data worldwide Gabriele Droege	57. Convergent evolution at the sequence level - batty and malarial examples James Cotton
14:40-15:00	54. Quantitative morphometric assessment of the disparity of Lake Tangayika's endemic gastropod fauna Olivia Cheronet	58. Rocks, Soils and Breaks: A new method for discovering and identifying biotic breaks Malte Ebach
15:00-15:20	55. Herbarium DNA: extraction optimization, damage assessment and use. Freek Bakker	59. Nullius in Calculo: On the Explicitness and Reproducibility of Cladistic Analyses Ross Mounce
15:20-15:30 CLOSING REMARKS AND PRIZE-GIVING Juliet Brodie

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Venue

The conference will be held in the Medical Biology Centre, shown on Google map as the Lisburn Road side of Belfast City Hospital complex.

View in Google Streetview

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Registration

Registration for the 2011 Biennial is now open. To register please follow the link below which will take you to a separate site.

Go to Registration site (opens in a new window)

Registration rates:

• Ordinary members £180.00
• Non-members £195.00 (Why not join the Systematics Association and save money?)
• Student members £120.00

• Members daily rate £50.00
• Non-Members daily rate £75.00 (Why not join the Systematics Association and save money?)

• Banquet £40.00
• Excursions from £12.00 to £35.00

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Student Bursaries

There deadline for student bursaries has now passed.

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Abstracts

The deadline for the submission of Abstracts for talks has been extended to 19 June 2011.

Please complete an abstract form if you wish to present a poster or an oral presentation.

Please note that we will accommodate as many talks as possible but if we are unable to do so then we will offer you the option of presenting a poster.

On the form you can indicate if you wish your talk to be considered for inclusion in one of the four thematic symposium:

• Next Generation Systematics - studying evolution and diversity in an era of ubiquitous genomics
• Arthropod Systematics: are morphology, palaeontology and molecules coming together?
• Algal Systematics: where next?
• Advances in using museum specimens and ancient DNA in systematics research

Download a copy of the abstract form.

Please email your completed form as a word document to by 19th June 2011

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Accommodation

To book accommodation for the conference we recommend that you use the official online booking site provided for us by the Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau.

Visit official conference accommodation site.

Accommodation is available ONLINE until 22nd May 2011 at the negotiated conference rates (from £32 per person per night inclusive of Bed + Breakfast.

The conference will be held in the Medical Biology Centre, shown on Google map as the Lisburn Road side of Belfast City Hospital complex.

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Travel

For information about travel to Belfast, tourist attractions and events, please visit www.gotobelfast.com or Telephone +44(0)28 9024 6609

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Conference organising committee:

• Juliet Brodie (President of the Systematics Association)
• Pete Olson (Treasurer of the Systematics Association)
• James Cotton (Programme Secrtary of the Systematics Association)

Local organising committee:

• Christine Maggs
  (School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast)
  
• Julia Sigwart (School of Biological Sciences, QUB)
• Frédéric Mineur (School of Biological Sciences, QUB)
• Christine Morrow (School of Biological Sciences, QUB)
• John Bothwell (School of Biological Sciences, QUB)
• Bernard Picton (Ulster Museum)

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Queries:

Please direct any queries regarding the 2011 Biennial to

• Christine Maggs
  (School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast)
  

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Links

• Queen's University, Belfast
• School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University
• Official Conference Registration site
• Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau (official conference accommodation site)

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