Please join us at ESA Workshop 34 in New Orleans!
Knowledge Café: Application of Emerging Topics in Plant Ecology and Evolution to Selection of Native Plant Materials for Restoration and Ecosystem Management
All are welcome and there is no fee for this workshop, and no RSVP required. But we would like to get a head count, so please click here to let us know you are coming if you can:
https://doodle.com/poll/n54trht3d5cu5ven
Here are the details:
Thursday, August 09, Workshop Link: https://eco.confex.com/eco/2018/meetingapp.cgi/Session/14409
11:30 AM - 01:15 PM
New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - 355
Advances in plant ecology and evolutionary biology have clear applications to plant materials choices for ecosystem management that may have long-term impacts on ecosystem resilience. Rapid changes in environmental and biotic conditions are leading to unprecedented changes in selective pressures faced by plant populations. There is a need to balance the preservation of locally adapted genes with the desire to develop native plant materials that are genetically diverse and can respond to ecosystem changes. However, there is often a disconnect between the types of research being conducted and that which is needed for application to ecosystem management. How do we develop knowledge surrounding topics like gene flow and local adaptation in a way that can inform native plant materials selection?
This workshop will focus on five emerging issues related to the ecological underpinnings of native plant materials selection and use: (1) rapid evolution, (2) risks and benefits of combining multiple populations, (3) methodological concerns surrounding local adaptation research, (4) effects of agricultural selection, and (5) appropriateness of using locally adapted materials in an era of rapid change. The workshop will include brief presentations on each topic to stimulate discussion, after which participants will break into groups for in-depth discussion on their topic of choice. The objectives of the workshop are to connect researchers interested in applying concepts of ecology and evolution to plant materials selection for restoration and ecosystem management; to facilitate sharing of recent research initiatives and findings on these topics; and generating new directions for research.
Organizer: Alexis L. Gibson, University of Montana
Co-organizers: Cara R. Nelson, University of Montana and Thomas N. Kaye, Institute for Applied Ecology and Oregon State University
Additional presenters:
Jeremie Fant, Chicago Botanic Garden
Danny Gustafson, The Citadel
Julie Etterson, University of Minnesota
Karin Kettenring, Utah State University
Richard Lankau, University of Wisconsin