MINER, BG; Univ. of California, Davis: A Tribute to Larry McEdward and an Introduction to the Symposium

Dr. Larry McEdward was a leader in the fields of larval ecology and marine invertebrate life histories. In 2001, Dr. McEdward unexpectedly passed away. To honor Dr. McEdward, we have organized a symposium to review the recent advances in the field of life history evolution in benthic marine invertebrates. Complex life-histories are an important aspect of the biology of organisms, and occur in almost all animal phyla and plant divisions. The study of complex life-histories has been, and continues to be, an important focal area of study that allows us to integrate across disciplines including ecology, evolution, development, physiology, and behavior. Among animals, the greatest diversity of life-histories is found in marine invertebrates. As an introduction to the symposium, I will first review Dr. McEdward�s career, highlighting his important contributions. I will also present the research that he was working on just before his passing. I will conclude by introducing the symposium participants and outlining the key topics that speakers will discuss.