Sunday
2:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm
Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff / Welcome from the GRC Chair
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm
Values of Molecular Ecology for Marine Conservation and Restoration
Discussion Leader: Jian-Wen Qiu (Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR China)
7:40 pm - 8:20 pm
Paul Barber (University of California, Los Angeles, USA)
"Frontiers in the Discovery and Monitoring of Marine Biodiversity Using Molecular Tools"
8:20 pm - 8:35 pm
Discussion
8:35 pm - 9:15 pm
Sophie von der Heyden (University of Stellenbosch, South Africa)
"Genes and Conservation: Molecular Approaches for Sustaining Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystems"
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Genomic Adaptations and Epigenetic Mechanisms
Discussion Leader: Pei-Yuan Qian (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR China)
9:00 am - 9:30 am
Timothy Ravasi (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia)
"Rapid Transgenerational Adaptation of a Reef Fish to Climate Change"
9:30 am - 9:45 am
Discussion
9:45 am - 10:15 am
Yu-Zhong Zhang (Shandong University, China)
"Genomic Basis and Mechanisms for Psychrophilic Bacteria Adaptation to Deep Sea Sediment and Polar Sea-Ice"
10:15 am - 10:30 am
Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am
Group Photo / Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Jose Eirin-Lopez (Florida International University, USA)
"Epigenetic Mechanisms Underlying Acclimatory Responses to Nutrient Stress in the Staghorn Coral Acropora cervicornis "
11:30 am - 11:45 am
Discussion
11:45 am - 12:15 pm
Haiwei Luo (Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China)
"New Evolutionary Mechanisms Giving Rise to Marine Bacterioplankton Lineages with Highly Reduced Genomes"
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Impacts on Seasonality and Diurnality of Marine Organisms
Discussion Leader: Qinglu Zeng (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR China)
7:30 pm - 8:15 pm
Jed Fuhrman (University of Southern California, USA)
"Interactions Among Bacteria, Archaea, Viruses, and Protists"
8:15 pm - 8:30 pm
Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:15 pm
Adam Reitzel (University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA)
"Evolution and Function of the Circadian Clock"
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Environmental Changes and Holobionts
Discussion Leader: Linda Blackall (University of Melbourne, Australia)
9:00 am - 9:30 am
Sean Crowe (The University of British Columbia, Canada)
"Microbial Sulfur Metabolisms, Ocean Redox, and the Evolution of Early Animals"
9:30 am - 9:45 am
Discussion
9:45 am - 10:15 am
Monica Medina (Pennsylvania State University, USA)
"Regulatory Roles of the Microbiome in the Coral Holobiont"
10:15 am - 10:30 am
Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am
Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Sandie Degnan (University of Queensland, Australia)
"Genome-Informed Insights into the Function of a Coral Reef Sponge Holobiont"
11:30 am - 11:45 am
Discussion
11:45 am - 12:15 pm
Christian Voolstra (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia)
"The Metaorganism Imperative - We Are Not Alone"
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Poster Session
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Invasive Species Under Climate Change
Discussion Leader: Karen Chan (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR China)
4:00 pm - 4:45 pm
Aibin Zhan (Chinese Academy of Sciences, China)
"Molecular Mechanisms of Local Adaptation in Marine Invasive Species"
4:45 pm - 5:00 pm
Discussion
5:00 pm - 5:45 pm
Melania Cristescu (McGill University, Canada)
"Sequencing Our Ways Towards Understanding Biological Invasions"
5:45 pm - 6:00 pm
Discussion
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Molecular Diagnosis of Organismal Responses to Environmental Stressors
Discussion Leader: Bayden Russell (Swire Institute of Marine Science, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China)
9:00 am - 9:45 am
Laura Mydlarz (University of Texas at Arlington, USA)
"Immunity to Community: Linking Immune Responses in Corals to Ecological Outcomes"
9:45 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:15 am
Makoto Kusakabe (Shizuoka University, Japan)
"Identification of Genes Essential to Overcome Salinity Stress in Threespine Stickleback"
11:15 am - 11:30 am
Discussion
11:30 am - 12:15 pm
Vengatesen Thiyagarajan (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China)
"Molecular Diagnosis of High-CO2 Threats to Shellfish Diversity and Aquaculture"
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Business Meeting
Nominations for the Next Vice Chair; Fill in Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Site and Scheduling Preferences; Election of the Next Vice Chair
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Young Investigator Presentations
Discussion Leaders: Matthias Wietz (University of Oldenburg, Germany) and Marli Vlok (University of British Columbia, Canada)
7:30 pm - 7:45 pm
Zachary Gold (University of California, Los Angeles, USA)
"Spatial and Temporal Variation of Environmental DNA in Kelp Forest Ecosystems"
7:45 pm - 7:50 pm
Discussion
7:50 pm - 8:05 pm
Haodong Liu (Tongji University, China)
"The Interactions Between the Heterotrophic Archaea and Bacteria on Degrading Particle Organic Carbon in Marine Water Column"
8:05 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:25 pm
Ilia Maidanik (Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel)
"T7-Like Cyanophage Populations Dominated by the Less Virulent Clade in the Marine Environment"
8:25 pm - 8:30 pm
Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:45 pm
Gideon Mordecai (University of British Columbia, Canada)
"Evidence for Previously Unknown Viruses in Salmon from British Columbia"
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:05 pm
Yahala Rina Roterman (Tel Aviv University, Israel)
"Has Microbiota Facilitated the Invasion of Spondylus Oysters in the Mediterranean Sea?"
9:05 pm - 9:10 pm
Discussion
9:10 pm - 9:25 pm
Jin Sun (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR China)
"Mussel Genomes Provide Insights into Adaptation to Deep-Sea Chemosynthetic Environments"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Microbial Interactions
Discussion Leader: Feng Chen (University of Maryland, USA)
9:00 am - 9:45 am
Steven Wilhelm (University of Tennessee, USA)
"Resolving Hidden Virus-Host Relationships in Environmental Metatranscriptomes"
9:45 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:15 am
Elizabeth Ottesen (University of Georgia, USA)
"Deciphering the Responses of Bacterioplankton in Altantic Surface Waters to Saharan Dust Aerosols"
11:15 am - 11:30 am
Discussion
11:30 am - 12:15 pm
Steven Hallam (University of British Columbia, Canada)
"Co-Metabolic Innovation Along Eco-Thermodynamic Gradients in the Ocean"
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Threats to Marine Biodiversity
Discussion Leader: Madeleine van Oppen (Australian Institute of Marine Science / The University of Melbourne, Australia)
4:00 pm - 4:45 pm
David Baker (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China)
"MarineGEO-Hong Kong: Assessing the Impacts of Urbanization on Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning"
4:45 pm - 5:00 pm
Discussion
5:00 pm - 5:45 pm
Melody Clark (British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, United Kingdom)
"Multi-Omics Approaches to Understanding Responses to Change"
5:45 pm - 6:00 pm
Discussion
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
Departure