International Symposium on Invasive Plants and Global Change
Preliminary Announcement
The ecology and management of invasive plants is of world-wide concern.
Much research and speculation has focused on which abiotic and biotic
factors promote plant invasions, including biotic factors that affect
population dynamics, weather variability and climate change, and land
use/disturbance regimes. The goals of this International Symposium are to:
(1) assess mechanisms of plant invasions; (2) evaluate how potential
global changes may influence these mechanisms and alter plant invasions;
and (3) project how plant invasions may be managed as global changes
occur. To achieve these goals, a distinguished group of international
scientists will explore these issues through presentations and
discussions. Because arid ecosystems are especially susceptible to plant
invasions and global changes due to low resilience and extreme sensitivity
to environmental changes, this International Symposium places special
emphasis on plant invasions in dry regions of the world.
Topics:
1. Mechanisms of plant invasions – understanding the “why” of plant
invasions – including: intra- and interspecific interactions, population
dynamics, evolutionary processes, plant-soil-microbial feedbacks, trophic
interactions, environmental variability, and human activities
2. Global changes and invasion processes – what the future holds and how
will these changes influence underlying mechanisms of invasion –
including: changing climate (temperature and precipitation), changing
atmospheric CO2, and changing land use and disturbance
3. Managing plant invasions in a changing world – putting it all together –
including: conceptual understanding to frame strategies and policies, and
predicting plant invasions with numerical models
Preliminary Schedule:
June 13 (Wednesday), Registration
June 14 (Thursday), Symposium
June 15 (Friday), Symposium
June 16 & 17 (Weekend), Field trip to Junggar Basin
Important Dates:
Before March 31, 2012 Submit registration form
Before May 31, 2012 Submit abstract
For more information, contact in USA: Bob Nowak – Email:
[email protected]
To receive further announcements about this Symposium, contact Zhang
Daoyuan – Email: [email protected]
For updated information, registration form, and further details, visit
www.egi.cas.cn/2012
