Information and Registration at : https://symposium.inra.fr/holobiont-paris2017

Fees : full price = 350€, reduced price (PhD student) = 175€

It is becoming increasingly clear that the development, nutrition, physiology and health of most organisms are influenced by the complex microbial communities they host,that shape their ecology and evolution.Biology is indeed undergoing a paradigm shift, where individual phenotypes are seen as a result of the combined expression of the host and associated microbe genomes, leading tothe popularization ofnotions oftheholobiont (the host and its microbiota) and the hologenome (the collective genomes of a holobiont). Ecological and technical advances, especially innext generation sequencing technologies, have greatly contributed to this conceptual shift, thereby revealing the diversity and roles of the microbes hosted by diverse organisms, from people and plants, to sponges and insects. The scientific community has now recognized that the host organisms cannot be studied without taking resident microbiomes into account, making holobiont research imperative across numerous fields of thelife and medical sciences.The objective of the International Conference on Holobionts, Paris 2017 is to, for the first time, bring scientists together who are interested holobiont systems and their study.This conference will highlight major advances in defining the key roles of host-borne microbiota in the ecology and evolution of higher organisms and the potential implications for human health, food production and ecosystem functioning. In addition, the conference will offer a platform for debate related to the definition, assembly and evolution of holobionts. By bringing a range of holobiont researchers together, the International Conference on Holobionts seeks to help consolidate the field, facilitate exchange across systems and approaches and stimulate future development in this emerging field.

This conference will address  the following topics:

1. Holobionts and evolution

2. Emerging approaches to holobiont research

3. Microbiota and host health

4. Mechanisms for holobiont assembly

5. Metabolic interactions between host and microbiota

For  each  topic,  we  encourage  oral  and  poster  communications  on  holobiont  systems  from  different perspectives including  theoretical, empirical, fundamental and applied researches.

This conference will  last 2.5 days, from April 19 th 1:30 p.m. to April 21 st 4 p.m. It will  take  place right in the center of Paris, in the heart of “Quartier Latin” in the prestigious Grand  Amphithéâtre of the  Museum  National  d’Histoire Naturelle  ( https://www.mnhn.fr/fr ) . Note  that for space constraints, we won’t be able to take more than 300 registrations so that  r egistrations will be accepted on first – come first – served basis.  Registration will open by  November  2 5 , 2016  and be closed by January 3 1 , 2017 (please, register online at  https://symposium.inra.fr/holobiont – paris2017).