Pupfishes Symposia A number of excellent symposia are currently being planned for the 2001 meeting at Penn State. The following symposia are finalized so far. Speciation in Fishes, Reptiles, and Amphibians Click here for a listing of abstracts.
Speciation is an ongoing process that has resulted in a spectacular diversity of flora and fauna.
To date, there are twenty-two different species concepts employed by researchers who study life, its origins, and its evolution. The wide range of species concepts in use today is attributable in part to better applicability of species concepts to certain taxa or phylogenies, but differences in the researcher's personal experience, personal beliefs on the nature of evolution and the origin of life on earth, and philosophy with regard to what does or does not exist as an entity contribute to the diversity of species concepts. This symposium will deal with any impacts, whether direct or indirect, that are caused by human actions other than through fisheries. It is the desire of the organizers that this symposium should serve to illustrate what is known of these impacts, but even more importantly, what needs to be learned. In many areas, critical thought may be more important than hard data.