A multidimensional view of speciation: bridging micro and macro-evolution

Chairperson: Nick BARTON

Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria

Phone: +43 2243 9000 3001

Email: nick.barton@ist.ac.at

Vice-chairperson: Camille ROUX

Evolution Ecologie Paléontologie, UMR 8198, CNRS et Université de Lille, Bâtiment SN2, Cité Scientifique, 59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France

Phone: +33 (0)6 30 71 19 02

Email: camille.roux@univ-lille.fr

Speciation lies at the intersection of microevolution, which focuses on variation within species, and macroevolution, which examines speciation rates and extinction patterns at global scale. This conceptual division has led to gaps in our understanding of speciation, a complex process requiring insights from multiple disciplines, including genetics, ecology, developmental biology, and phylogenetics. Current research is biased toward specific model organisms with easily observable traits or short generation times, further fragmenting our view of speciation. Moreover, there is a contrast between paleontological data that show evolutionary stasis and the rapid changes observed at a microevolutionary scale. To address these issues, an integrative approach of speciation research spanning a wide range of taxon and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration is urgently needed. The conference “A multidimensional view of speciation: bridging micro and macro-evolution” aims to bridge these gaps by addressing key topics of speciation research in four sessions:

1. Species diversification
2. The biogeography of speciation
3. Hybridization
4. Components of reproductive isolation

Invited speakers

(provisional titles)

Stuart BAIRD (Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic)
Barriers to gene flow and speciation

Nick BARTON (Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria)
What can hybrid zones tell us about speciation? 

Nicolas BIERNE (Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France)
Anthropogenically admixed genomes support a polygenic architecture of species barriers

Roger BUTLIN (University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom)
The role of chromosomal inversions in speciation

Isobel EYRES (University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom)
Using experimental evolution to examine the evolution of reproductive isolation

Sophie KARRENBERG (University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden)
Alleles with habitat-dependent effects limit gene flow

Jonna KULMUNI (University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Costs and benefits of hybridization for persistence of biodiversity

Amaury LAMBERT (Collège de France, Paris, France)
Opening the species box: What microscopic models of speciation say about macroevolution

Violaine LLAURENS (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France)
Temporal divergence driving speciation in sympatry

Konrad LOHSE (University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
What limits population genomic scans for barriers to gene flow? 

Daniel MATUTE (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA)
The frequency of introgression across taxa

Joana MEIER (Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom)
How hybridisation between divergent lineages can speed up speciation

Claire MÉROT (Université de Rennes, Rennes, France)
Structural variants and the evolution of biological diversity

Hélène MORLON (Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France)
Towards process-based models for bridging micro and macro evolutionary speciation research

Craig MORITZ (The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia)
Speciation with, and without, ecological divergence

Leonie MOYLE (Indiana University, Bloomington, USA)
PMPZ barriers are and aren’t alike in plants and animals (speculations from two case systems) 

Ludovic ORLANDO (University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France)
What ancient genomes tell us about hybrids and their role in animal domestication ? 

Catherine PEICHEL (University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland)
Genetics of speciation in sticklebacks

Daven PRESGRAVES (University of Rochester, Rochester, USA)
Genetic conflict, complex epistasis, and hybrid sterility

Dan RABOSKY (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA)
The demography of speciation and its implications for macroevolutionary dynamics

Camille ROUX (Université de Lille, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France)
Dynamics of speciation in plants and animals

Sonal SINGHAL (California State University, Carson, USA)
A process-oriented approach to reproductive isolation

Andrea SWEIGART (University of Georgia, Athens, USA)
Does divergence in genomic imprinting explain the evolution of hybrid seed inviability? 

Maud TENAILLON (Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France)
Domestication as a step towards reproductive isolation

John WELCH (University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom)
Hybrid fitness and speciation

Deadline for application: June 6, 2025

Registration fee (including board and lodging)

550 € for PhD students 

770 € for other participants 

Application for registration 

The total number of participants is limited to 115 and all participants are expected to attend for the whole duration of the conference. Selection is made on the basis of the affinity of potential participants with the topics of the conference. Scientists and PhD Students interested in the meeting should deposit online before the deadline: link coming soon

• their curriculum vitae
• the proof of their student status
• the list of their main publications for the 3 last years
• the abstract of their presentation:

The abstract must respect the following template:

• First line: title
• Second line: list of authors
• Third line: author's addresses
• Fourth line: e-mail of the presenting author

Abstract should not exceed 600 words. No figures.

After the deadline, the organizers will select the participants. Except in some particular cases approved by the Chairperson, it is recommended that all selected participants present their work during the conference, either in poster form or by a brief in- session talk. The organizers choose the form in which the presentations are made. No payment will be sent with application. Information on how and when to pay will be mailed in due time to those selected.