Preface: Blasts from the past and back to the future

Abstract

Following the kind invitation of the organizers Christian Laforsch and Max Rabus, the 11th International Symposium on Cladocera gathered scientists from all over the world working on multidisciplinary aspects of Cladoceran biology. The meeting is renowned to house Cladoceran research from multiple disciplines including evolutionary history, host-parasite and predator-prey interactions, phylogeny, environmental genomics, population genetics, biogeography, systematics, and taxonomy. First being held in 1986 in Hungary, this meeting recurs every 3 years. The 11th meeting was held in Kulmbach, Germany, from September the 24th to the 29th, 2017, in the wonderful Plassenburg Castle in the margravial city of Kulmbach, Germany. During this 1 week, scientists from all around the globe coming from Austria,