Changing environment’s effect on plants to be discussed at international symposium

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News for UC Agriculture & Natural Resources employees.

Author: Pamela Kan-Rice

Published on: February 12, 2014

Scientists from 25 countries will gather on the Monterey Peninsula to discuss “Plants and the Changing Environment” in June. The 9th Air Pollution and Global Change Symposium will be held June 8-12 at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove.

The goal of the series is to consider interactions of air pollution and global change and their impacts on vegetation.

“The symposium is unique in dealing with effects at all levels from molecular and cellular mechanisms, whole plant and crop impacts, all the way up to models of ecosystem and regional impacts,” said David A. Grantz, UC Cooperative Extension specialist based in the Department of Botany & Plant Sciences at UC Riverside.

The symposia are held every few years in different countries, the last in Groningen, The Netherlands in 2011. The event in California is being organized by Grantz and Kent O. Burkey, USDA/ARS Plant Physiologist and North Carolina State University Professor of Crop Science and Botany in Raleigh.

UC scientists and students engaged in research on the interactions of plant function, metabolism and communities with environmental pollution and global change are encouraged to attend.

“This is an important opportunity for U.S. scientists because the last time this symposium was held in the U.S. was in 1992,” said Grantz. “This is a great chance to catch up on the physiological ecology and modeling efforts underway in Europe and Asia.”

The confirmed keynote speakers include

Dennis Baldocchi, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Lisa Emberson, Stockholm Environment Institute and University of York, U.K.
Lisa Ainsworth, USDA/ARS and University of Illinois, USA
Koike Takayoshi, Hokkaido University, Japan
Harry Harmens, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Environment Centre Wales, U.K.
Allen Lefohn, ASL and Associates, USA
Atul Jain, University of Illinois, USA
Rainer Matyssek, Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany

The deadline for abstracts, registration and lodging is March 31. The agenda, registration and housing information can be found at WWW.APGC.EU.

Tags: Air Pollution (1), David Grantz (1), Dennis Baldocchi (1), plants (1), Plants and Their Systems (1)

Comments: 2

Comments:

by Charles A Raguse

on February 14, 2014 at 11:07 AM

It seems odd that, on the list of "confirmed keynote speakers", UC Davis is not included, in particular because UCD is the home of ANR. In contrast, the University of Illinois captured two of the USA academic affiliations.

With the compelling emphasis ANR Vice President Allen-Diaz has placed on the role of agricultural plants in a world-wide food-providing perspective, it seems that she merits inclusion on the keynote speakers list. Perhaps Dennis Baldocchi of UC Berkeley fills this niche, and I am not aware of his professional affiliation.

Someone should tell 'em that Chancellor Katehi will not be pleased.

Reply by Pamela Kan-Rice

on February 14, 2014 at 12:01 PM

ANR is a statewide Division of the University of California based in Oakland, with UCCE specialists and AES faculty located on the Berkeley, Davis and Riverside campuses. Dennis Baldocchi is a member of ANR based at UCB and studies biosphere-atmosphere interactions. Scientists who study the effects of air pollution and environmental changes, regardless of their affiliation, are invited to participate in this international symposium.