Directly observing evolution in nature is often impossible. But biologists who use experimental systems to study these processes have the luxury of observing the fine details directly, controlling the conditions, and even replicating the results. In the age of genomics, experimental approaches to ecology and evolution have become particularly powerful for genetic model systems, including yeast, bacteria, and fruit flies.

In the latest issue of G3, Gasch and Yvert report on the third EMBO-sponsored conference on Experimental Approaches to Evolution and Ecology Using Yeast and Other Model Systems, hosted at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, October 12–15, 2014. The meeting covered a wide array of evolutionary and ecological systems, from experimental evolution in yeast to Drosophila genetics, phytoplankton phylogenomics, and microbial interactions in a mammalian host. Themes that emerged from the meeting included the prevalence of aneuploidy in evolution, the role of epistasis in shaping evolutionary trajectories, selection on protein translation, and the importance of ecological interactions.

This article is the first G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics Meeting Report. Meeting Reports provide an overview of recent scientific meetings related to genetics and genomics and are typically authored by meeting organizers and/or select participants. G3 Meeting Reports are published by invitation only. If you have a presubmission inquiry for a particular meeting, please contact g3-gsa@thegsajournals.org.

 

Gasch, A. P., & Yvert, G. (2015). MEETING REPORT on Experimental Approaches to Evolution and Ecology Using Yeast & Other Model Systems. G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics June 2015 5:1021-1023; doi:10.1534/g3.115.018614 http://www.g3journal.org/content/5/6/1021.full

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Cristy Gelling is a science writer, lapsed yeast geneticist, and former Communications Director at the GSA.

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