FEDER, M.E.: Evolutionary and ecological functional genomics: jumpstarting a new community

Describing genomes, their variation, and their change through time is only the first step in rigorous understanding of evolution. Subsequent steps must include elucidating the functional significance of genomic variation in ecological context (i.e., “phenomics”), involving collaboration with functional biologists (e.g., physiologists, biochemists, developmental biologists) and ecologists (including behavioral and population biologists). “Evolutionary and ecological functional genomics” is an initiative sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation to address the substantial challenges of including both genomics and phenomics in a single research program. Its goal is to establish an international scientific community interested in meeting this challenge, one inclusive of researchers examining microbial, plant, and animal systems as well as both model and non-model organisms. This community would complement existing communities in biomedical and agricultural genomics, but focus on wild species living in natural environments. The initiative is described at http://pondside.uchicago.edu/~feder/EEFG.html . Supported by NSF IBN0083375.